


After Death

by SleepDeprivedFemale



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: AU, Gen, Kid has the worst luck, Lovecraftian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2018-04-18 19:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 148,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4718195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepDeprivedFemale/pseuds/SleepDeprivedFemale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which the Kishin sealed Lord Death in the battle 800 years ago. When supposed final battle between the two Gods ended with the Kishin as the victor, two survivors find a sickly child and name him Kid. Fifteen years later, he and his childhood friend Maka accidentaly get involved with a mysterious organisation, an ancient book and a forgotten past.<br/>T because of language and some gore in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Grand Theft Library

**Prologue**

**Grand Theft Library**

"This is stupid," whispered a deep voice, its owner hidden in the shadows of the shoddy alleyway, illuminated only by a worn flickering street lamp and the bright yellow moon. Old newspapers, needles and the occasional broken knife littered the cracked pavement around a pale green trashcan, filled to the brim.

"No it's not," a feminine young voice broke the alley's oppressive silence, coming from where the previous voice originated. "It's gonna be quick, like we planned."

A few light steps echoed in the street and a slender figure came out of the shadows. Blond hair tied in two identical pigtails tossed around, as the petite girl looked left and right before running straight towards the lone dirty trashcan. With one mighty push of her legs the girl jumped onto the trashcan then to the top of the metal fence, hands gripping the brick wall nearby in support. With baited breath, she knelt down before leaping off again, towards a suspended railing. Her hands barely caught on the metal and her entire figure wobbled back and forth, as strong hands gripped tighter on her leverage and pushed her whole body up the railing.

"Phew," she panted heavily and rubbed her brow before turning towards the dark corner. "Your turn Kid," she said, leaning into the massive wall dirtied with the occasional bloody spatter and flaying plaster.

"I'm coming." The other figure called Kid shifted through the shadows until he came under the lamp's light. The flickering beam accentuated the boy's black hair and pale skin as the teenager moved through the alley. The boy shifted the backpack he was carrying on one shoulder and stopped about a meter away from the fence above which the girl was. He slipped the backpack from his shoulders and gripped it with one hand.

"Maka, catch." With one strong swipe the bag flew over the fence and onto the girl's lap. The boy took a few steps back, before sprinting towards the fence and jumped, one foot connecting with the fence as another hand gripped the thin wire lines. Kid's free foot propelled the boy higher and his other free hand grabbed the top of the fence. With a soft grunt the boy climbed up to the fence's top. He crouched and balanced himself on top of the thin top rail, holding on the wall for extra balance. Bright yellow eyes eyed the faraway ledge with apprehension.

"I stand by my previous claim. This is stupid."

The girl frowned before giving the boy a disapproving look. "You're always so negative Kid," Maka said, mounting the bag on her back. She sat on her knees and extended her hand to the teen's direction. "I'll catch you. Worst case scenario, you'll get a bruise."

"You're being too optimistic." The boy bent his knees before jumping off the fence. His stomach collided with the beginning of the railing as slender hands caught on both sides of the ledge. Kid let out a pained grunt as Maka helped him up.

"See? Not that bad?" the girl said with a bright smile, giving Kid a pat on the back. "A+ for effort."

The boy raised an eyebrow at the gesture and stood up. "Don't be patronizing. You know it's not the getting in part I'm worried about," he muttered while brushing off imaginary dust of his faded black T-shirt.

Yet Maka merrily brushed off his comment off and walked further along the metal ledge with Kid in tow. After a few seconds of blindly walking along and staring at the lower part of the wall, Maka stopped in front of a hole in the wall covered by a thick ridged metal cover. "Bingo," she said as she knelt down and grabbed the cover between the gaps. With a mighty grunt she tried to pull the cover out, yet he metal didn't bulge. After a couple of more unsuccessful tries, she let out a depressed mumble and turned to an amused-looking Kid. "Mind giving me a hand?"

"Sure," Kid responded as he knelt down. Two skinny arms grabbed the vent entrance and pulled with surprising strength. Within a few second the metal bended until finally giving out, and the cover fell into the abandoned alley with a loud clang.

"Kid the strongman strikes again," Maka joked as she entered the vent, the sounds of limbs against metal echoing through the metal impromptu hallway.

The boy shrugged as he knelt down after the girl. "Maybe it's a family thing," he muttered. A second set of footsteps resounded through the vent as the boy crawled behind Maka. "Wouldn't know."

"Or maybe Miss Marie's being giving you lessons," the girl commented in a light-hearted tone.

"Nah, currently she's more preoccupied trying to find a husband and annoying Azusa," Kid said in mild annoyance. "At times like this I can't figure out how they ended up as flat mates."

"Didn't Miss Marie insist on living with Azusa when she found you?"

The boy made a non-committal sound. "Well, seeing as she's still treating me like I'm an 8-year-old, most likely."

There was a moment of silence as the two teens continued their strange journey, with only the muffled clangs accompanying them as they trudged through the vent. It was dusty and more often than not Maka had to stop and pull at several spider webs while avoiding the numerous rusty and corroded parts of the metal lining.

"I'm still surprised we managed to find a way to sneak in the library," Kid said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah it's weird. I thought the place would be better protected."

The boy gave a thoughtful hum before speaking out, "I guess there wasn't much need for protection from the people here. After all we are within the inner circle. If one were to invade, they would come from the outer circle, which would probably end with the wannabe culprit's soul eaten."

The girl turned her head as much as the restricted metal tunnel allowed her and gave Kid a wide grin. "Does that make us successful culprits then?"

"More like incredibly idiotic culprits but the terms are not mutually exclusive-"

Kid's cynical remark was cut short as Maka stopped dead in her tracks, causing Kid to stop as well.

"What's up?"

"I got us an empty room."

Kid heard another grunt and realized Maka was trying to remove another one of the metal covers. "Can I help-"

"Nah, I got this," came Maka's strained reply, her whole frame shaking from effort. After a few intense seconds Kid heard metal giving away as Maka's frame relaxed. "There." Another small clang confirmed Kid's suspicion as the cover was pushed away from the entrance. His friend grabbed on the edge and with a graceful swoop exited the vent. Kid did the same only with much less enthusiasm, and both teens found themselves surrounded by darkness.

"I can't see anything," Kid heard Maka's voice coming from somewhere close to his left.

"I can see barely. The room is small. There's an old armchair in front of you. And… I think that's a candle over there?"

"How about a light switch?"

"Can't make one out."

"Ok, wait I think I have some matches in the backpack." A shuffling noise filled the room followed by a scratching sound and a small orange flame appeared. The flickering light barely illuminated Maka's face whereas Kid's frame was hued a faint orange but remained fairly obscure.

"You really came prepared. Hand me one, I'll go get the candle."

After a few more shuffling noises and a few footsteps, a small lit candle was placed on the coffee table in the middle. Thanks to the small light the teens could see that the room was probably a private reading room, if the two exquisitely decorated armchairs and the mahogany table were of any indication. The floor was covered by a thick and textured red-brown carpet, a similar hue to the dark red walls lined with expensive looking portraits and ancient maps.

Footsteps and chatter came from outside the room, causing both teens to look worriedly towards the door. The voices of two women slowly increased in volume until it seemed like the people were right outside the room… Kid took a tentative step back, getting closer to the single candle providing light whereas Maka lowered her back, like a lion ready to pounce.

Then one of the women let out an airy laugh, followed by the sounds of footsteps moving away from where the two teens were. Maka's tensed shoulders relaxed whereas Kid gaze remained fixed on the door.

"It's starting…" the girl muttered and her eyebrows scrunched with determination. "We need to hurry up." She removed her backpack with hasty movements and set it near the coffee table, pulling the zipper open and removing many cloth bags along two sets of formal looking clothes, setting them on top of the mahogany furniture.

"The clothes at the top are for you," the girl explained as she set the two sets of clothing on top of the table while discarding the cloth bags on the floor. "The ones below are for me," she added as she took the lower set and started unfolding the garments. "How'd you convince Azusa to lend you one of her outfits?" she asked while absent-mindedly inspecting the clothes that were for her.

"I didn't, so don't ruin them or I'm screwed. More so than usual," Kid said with some regret and took his pair. He inspected the black fabric with some confusion. "Speaking of which, right back at you. How did Spirit let you take one of his formal pairs? Considering…" Kid tilted his head in a silent exchange between him and Maka.

The teen shook her head before returning to her more confident and cheerful self. "Well… I'm in the same situation as you," she sheepishly said, giving the boy a goofy grin.

"Oh wonderful," Kid drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, which Maka completely ignored as she picked up the matchbox. "So if we do make it out of this with our souls intact we're still both screwed anyways."

"Kid, we're getting a book."

"No we're stealing it. From the Central Library's Forbidden section. With most of the Kishin council surrounding us."

"We've done this before," Maka commented offhandedly as she lighted a few more candles scattered across the room shedding more light in the red-hued chamber.

"Stealing minor things, yes. No one in the upper level would care abot missing wallets and the occasional kerfuffle."

"You forgot that one time we got the caretaker's timetable for our district."

"Yes but that was only one low-level witch and some mindless ghouls," Kid said, his face scrunching up ashe remembered sneaking past he moving corpses. "In a few hours this place will be swarming with witches and… Kishin. If anyone smart enough uses soul perception…"

Maka dug through her outfit and Kid copied her. "Then we run," she mumbled, sorting through a long cotton fabric and a leather belt before inspecting an inconspicuous black garment. "It's not like our families are upstanding members of society…" Maka's remark trailed off.

"I highly doubt the Empire welcomes anyone associated with the Federated States…" A similar failure of speech happened to Kid who was also giving a part of his outfit a confused look.

"Kid?" "Maka?" both asked simultaneously.

"What's this?!" Maka had a scandalized expression on her face, cheeks slightly blushing as he help up a certain type of clothing.

"It's a bra," Kid replied in a neutral tone.

" _Why'd you get me a bra?!"_ she hissed and the red in her cheeks deepening." _A push-up one as well!_ "

"We said we'd bring each other a proper outfit!" The boy crossed his hands in indignation. "Sports bra don't go with cocktail dresses!" Kid said in a matter-of-factly and then held up a particular piece of clothing as well. "Why the hell did you get me briefs!?"

"Boxers create panty lines!"

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Right back at you!"

"Oh gosh," muttered the teen in mock surprise, "maybe because both my guardians are women?!"

"I've been mostly living with my dad as well!" Maka hissed and turned away. Her blush had now reached her ears and showed no sign of receding. "Not that I like that, he's a total deadbeat and keeps cheating on mom-"

She was interrupted by a small chuckle. The girl reeled around and saw Kid eyeing the two offending pieces of clothing while trying –and failing- to keep his laughter in.

"What's so funny?"

"We know each other too well," the boy muttered, rubbing imaginary tears off his eyes. "At least if we get caught and stripped for torture our outfits will be on point."

Ignoring Kid's cynical comment, Maka found herself loosening up as well, until she failed to hold in a small giggle. "Anyways," the teen said, "we should get ready."

They both picked up their respective piles of clothes, underwear included, and went to opposite corners of the room. Maka deposited her pile on a comfy-looking red armchair whereas Kid used a small coffee table to place his clothes.

"Don't look," Maka said as she pulled up her yellow second-hand sweater.

"Same," Kid replied as he took off his faded black T-shirt.

What followed were a few minutes of mutual silence, broken only by the occasional shuffling of clothes and the steady hum of activity outside the room.

"I'm ready," Kid piped in. "You?"

"Just a sec. The stupid zip in annoying." A small zipping sound reached Kid's ears. "There!" came the triumphant yell.

Both turned around and looked at each other.

Kid was now dressed in a beige dress shirt tucked under a formal black trouser, with black suspenders keeping the garment secure over his thin form. Maka herself was dressed in an imposing black high-neckline cocktail dress, the ends hanging loosely around her knees.

There were only two little issues…

"The pants are too long…" Kid lamented at the multitude of folds at the end of his pants

"The bust is too big…" Maka groaned, eyeing the sagging fabric at her front.

"Oh, we are done for…"

"No!" Maka yelled. "It's gonna be fine, we can fix this!" She grabbed the cloth bags and turned to Kid, "pull your pants up and fold them as much as you can!" She then turned her back on him. "I'll stuff the bust with the bags…" she muttered to herself before hissing, "don't look!"

Another minute later with more shuffling, the teens faced each other again.

Maka gave Kid a satisfied smirk. The male teen looked presentable, despite the end of his pants appearing weirdly large.

"This is oncomfortable," the teen mumbled as he shifted in his trousers. Kid then looked up flinched as he inspected Maka's appearance.

"Your chest is asymmetrical. Did you put an equal number of bags in each cup?"

Maka's blush returned at full force. "Not this again! It's fine if it's not perfect we won't mingle with the crowd. We just have to look ok from a distance…"

"But if they're asymmetrical then you become asymmetrical as well, and unbalanced so a mistake is bound to happen and you'll be screwed, I'll be screwed and the whole mission will be in shambles-"

"Not now Kid, not your weird symmetry thing-"

"It's not weird-Symmetry is-!"

"I'm heading out!" Maka turned away from Kid and opened the door, the suddenness of her action causing Kid to quit his zealous rant.

"I'm not finished!-oh," Kid became quiet as he stepped out as well. For a second the bright light blinded him as he took in the enormous hall spread beneath them. The teens were on a hallway way above the sprawling ball room, perhaps some type of gallery.

"And to think they call this building a library." Kid said with restrained awe as he took in the massive hall stretching beyond the ball room, marked by the beginning of endless rows of bookshelves. Selves upon selves filled with books lined the walls circling around the hall. The stairs beginning from the ballroom split into different subsets, like branches of a tree, proudly defying engineering and logic, standing proud and lavish as a miracle of architecture – magic was certainly involved. Some paths lead to balconies and galleries spread across the gigantic hall at varying levels, including the one the two teens were on. Most staircases ended on platforms also supported on seemingly nothing as they intertwined and stretched beyond their point of view and wound around the multitude of selves. One could easily get lost in the sea of bookshelves that separate the hall from the rest of the building.

Maka however was focused in the sea of people below the, frowning as she took in their forms. Most women were wearing themed outfits, from toads and scorpions to geometrical patters and everything in between. There were relatively few men and women who weren't in the themed costumes; instead their bodies were distorted into inhuman shapes, often with sharp teeth, nails and menacing humped postures.

Her eyes hardened as she saw the few normal looking humans standing lifelessly to the side. "No matter. We should go find the book," she muttered turning her back to the crowd and heading towards the sea of bookshelves in the back. "The notes said that it should be at the centre of the library…"

She paused when she didn't hear a set of footsteps following her. "Hey Kid you ok-"

"Look at the entrance, in the middle of the hall" said the boy in complete awe, leaning dangerously over the railing. "The carvings on each door are perfectly symmetrical-"

"Not now Kid-"

"Look at the columns Maka, _there are eight of them_ -!" he squealed as he leaned as far as the railing would let him, before Maka grabbed him and literally dragged him away from the guest's view.

And as they merged into the shadows, a white haired boy gave the gallery a questioning look before heading into a door near the entrance of the hall.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Soul, have you seen your brother?"

"No mother, I don't know where Wes is," the boy replied as he let himself collapse into a nearby chair with all the grace of a male teenager.

"Oh by the Kishin, where is he, the performance is about to start any minute now," the woman whispered anxiously, playing with a stand of her long white hair as the rest curled elegantly along her thin back. The white haired boy named Soul sat quietly in the background, fidgeting in his formal suit. "And comb your hair, they're all over the place!"

The boy sighed in frustration. He shared the same striking white hair as his mother, only his were spiky and naturally wild which earned him copious amount of grief from his prim-and-proper parent.

"I combed them five minutes ago ma-"

"Mother."

Soul huffed. "Yeah sure, mother. Like I said I already combed them before, that's how they naturally are…"

The woman rubbed her temples in frustration. "Of course they are. Now where on Earth is your brother Wes…?"

"Maybe he bailed," Soul piped in, smiling inwardly as he saw his mother turn fifty shades of pale before turning and looking at her son like he had just disowned her. She opened her mouth to yell at him, before composing herself, resting a delicate hand on her temple.

"Just kidding mom."

"Your attempt at humour is not appreciated Soul Evans."

The creaking of the door distracted the mother and Soul dropped the sarcastic comment he was about to make. A young man dressed in a black tailcoat and with the same striking white hair as the other two people in the room came in. "Hello mother, hi Soul, sorry to keep you waiting-"

"Wes Evans, your lateness in unacceptable!" The woman let out an exasperated sight and rushed to the albino man as the younger brother huffed and looked away.

"Mother I'm thirty minutes early…"

"We can barely prepare in thirty minutes!" the woman half-yelled before letting out a fake cough and regaining her noble composure. "What I meant to say is that this is a very important event, not just for you but for the Evans family as a whole," the woman softly said as she fixed her eldest son's shoulder flaps before moving to the tie. "If Lady Arachne or Lady Medusa enjoy your performance they may hand out the Indulgence paper and you know how much we need that," she continued, untying and redoing the tie until the velvet fabric was perfect and elegant. "Imagine, being able to live in the Inner Circle, having ghouls as our personal servants, even find a patron in the Kishin Council-maybe even get yourselves acquainted to Lady Medusa's child-"

"Yeah, being a witch's bitch is such a cool thing to look forward to," came Soul's spiteful remark.

The woman swiftly turned around and gave her younger son an acidic glare. "If you want to keep living in the wastelands among the soulless, hungry and poor until our souls get stolen by some filthy occultist feel free to remove yourself from our family."

They remained silent for a while before the woman spoke up in a neutral tone.

"Besides you should be grateful to the amazing opportunity given to us considering it is your condition that got us sent to the wastelands," she said in a cold calculating tome. Her comment caused Soul to regress further back in his seat. Their mother didn't notice, absorbed in making sure her son looked presentable. Wes' gaze on the other hand lingered on his younger brother but soon refocused on his mother.

"Though you are not the source of blame. If anyone, it is my mother," her hand clenched. "Deceiving your grandfather to what she truly was, I hope Lady Arachne and Lady Medusa put her tainted soul to good use." She scoffed. "I thought since I wasn't tainted by her sin that my children would be safe as well," she said glancing at her younger son, whose slumped frame hid his face in the shadows.

"But we know how it turned out," she muttered before giving both her sons a bright fake smile. "And that's why you Wes, are such a great brother and son! To think you would use your precious talent in piano to help out you family even those who others may think are not worth it…" she brushed an imaginary tear from her cheek, "that's why I'm proud to call you my son," she concluded and gave the younger male a warm motherly embrace, despite being several centimetres shorter than her eldest boy.

Said boy now looked at his brother and mother in concern, rubbing his neck. "I… uh," he trailed off, unsure what to say. "You're worth it mom. Soul too. We're a family right?" he said in a hopeful tone.

"Yes of course," the mother said, smiling warmly as she placed her hands on her son's shoulders. "A better life awaits us Wes."

A bitter scoff echoed from the back of the room. "You talk like your souls won't get eaten eventually by one of the commanding bitches anyway…"

The woman let out an offended gasp as the elder brother looked between them hesitant. "You compare faithfully serving our Lord Kishin and being rewarded for our service by being forever a part of him to dying as insignificant ants!?"

"We don't have to stay in the wastelands!" Soul yelled in desperation. "There are other places we can go!"

"Were would you go? At the…" she shivered, "the Death worshippers?! They'd much rather take your soul! At least our merciful Lord allows us to exist even if flawed beyond repair."

The boy flinched but remained silent.

The woman gave her son a stern look. "You know how they treat your kind dear my dear son. My mother made the mistake of seeing her sin as a gift, and had the audacity to pass it to one of her grandchildren. Don't tread the same path." She slowly approached her son as he turned his face away and receded further into his chair. The woman ignored his childish antics as she knelt from behind and enveloped the boy in her embrace.

"Rest easy my son," she whispered sweetly into his ear. "Mother knows best. It is not your fault you were born with sin. Mommy will fix everything."

Soul's frame tensed and his breath came in shallow as his mother gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

"I'll fix you."

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Meanwhile, outside the library's entrance an entirely different scene was playing out. Beneath the laughing moon's pale moonlight and the bewitched bloody red candles, a lone young man reclined against the old library's brick wall. He was of Asian descent, tall and well-built. His black hair was tied back to a thin ponytail with the exception of two side bangs and the rest of his body was covered by a high collar white coat.

The man was staring at nothing in particular but perfectly aware of his surroundings, isolated from the rest of the people gathered around. As he stayed there unmoving and silent, a small group of women of varying ages passed him. They were muttering among themselves, and judging from the hushed tones and intrigued remarks, their conversation topic was highly sensationalist. The man focused his attention on them. He was a newcomer to this world; every bit of information, even meaningless gossip was a good stepping stone to his eventual integration.

"Did you hear?"

"I heard the boy was stolen and raised by a Meister!"

"One of the people who worship the fallen god? How horrible!"

"They say the Star Clan invaded one of their hideout and recovered the child about a year back!"

"Oh by the Kishin, why did they let him live?"

"Lady Arachne said the boy already had the Madness in him despite those horrible people's best tries."

"Praise Lord Asura for that."

The young man moved his eyes to the person the witches were not-so-subtly gossiping about.

Perched up in the squares statue where the annual soul-feasting took pale stood a young boy at his mid-teens. His wild spiky blue hair and ninja-themed outfit made him unique enough, but what tryle made the boy stand out was his arrogant pose, standing proudly upon the tallest point on the spiked statue, revelling in the people's attention.

The man's eyes widened as he saw a small detail on the boy's shoulder. A tattoo in the shape of a star…

With slow but determined steps, the young man approached the boy. As he stood at ground level he craned his neck to look up, seeing the boy with a wild grin of his face.

"Good evening," he said politely. For a moment he was hesitant he'd have to shout as the teen didn't seem to hear him. However the boy immediately turned his head and looked down on the man. The boy's grin intensified.

"I see you are aware of my godly presence! And who might you be, lowly mortal?!"

"…Masamune," the man softly said.

The young teen frowned at his response. "Can't hear crap from up there!" Strong muscles propelled the boy forwards as he jumped down from the tall stature to land with the grace of a cat.

"I haven't seen you around these parts before!" the boy said, full of energy. "I don't notice people much, more like people notice ME because of the big star I am-But of course you know about me-"

"No, who are you?"

The boy seemed to have an aneurism, before facing the ma with an offended expression. "How the hell do you not know me?!"

"I'm new to the inner circle," the young man quietly said, his gaze focused on the floor. "This is the first major event I'm attending."

"So that explains why you didn't know me! You're a newbie! In this case your sin of not recognizing me is forgiven! Hahahahaha!"

"I take it you're famous? Or come from a renowned family?" the man quickly added.

"Ha! Someone as awesome as me doesn't need family ties or that crap to get to the top! You probably have heard of my folks though. After all this awesomeness had to come from somewhere!"

"Yes I suppose…"

The boy crossed his hands and drew to his full height, which was ironically not that much, before proudly exclaiming, "The name's BLACK*STAR and I'm the one who will surpass the Gods-!"

The man's eyes widened. "Of the Star Clan of assassins?"

"Yup. So you have heard of my folk."

"They're… famous."

"What about your folk?" Black*Star said with not as much enthusiasm as before. "Most people here that aren't witches and not Kishin get here cause of connections and whatnot- Not me of course-"

"I'd rather not mention my clan."

To the man's relief, the external library's lights around them were toned down considerably and the muttering subsided. Black*Star snorted in the background and muttered something along the lines of 'stolen attention'.

A bright light was focused on a platform in the entrance of the building, where a young woman in her late teens stood. Her hair resembled a scorpion's tail and she was clad in a long black robe resembling an insect's armour.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. My name is Shayla Gorgon-" she stated with a fake sweetness coating her voice, though the thin wrinkling around her nose revealed she was anything but sincere.

"One of the Gorgon sisters…" muttered Masamune.

"And I'll be you host for this year's gala. Feel free to come inside the ball room of the Central Library as our event is nearing its official opening ceremony. Our musicians for tonight; Wes Evans of the Evans family currently residing in the outer district of New York City…"

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

And as his brother's perfect melody filled the library's hall Soul walked away from the scene, hands in pockets and head hung low. The boy's initial fast pace slowed down as his brother's music faded away until it was but an indistinguishable hum along with the guests' voices. Surely their mother must be having the time of her life, socializing with the elite and some other equal crap, thinking their family would be perfect the moment they rise in rank.

Soul sniffed loudly and rubbed his nose. At least it was warm in here, and if things went right -which of course they would 'cause Wes was brilliant at the piano- they'd have a warm place to stay and not have to endure the humid spring weather…

And there it was. In an ironic twist of fate, a piano stood among the soaring bookcases, unabashed and undisturbed. Though not in the best of condition with a scratched board and faded polish, the instrument itself seemed sturdy and fine-tuned; almost certainly a high-quality one.

Soul looked behind him in apprehension. He was far way so that couldn't disturb anyone… plus he wouldn't have to worry about anyone listening in.

With barely restrained enthusiasm the boy lifted the wooden cover completely, revealing the row of black and white.

Pale fingers stretched over the keyboard.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A few ledges up and on the opposite bookshelf of where Soul was paying the piano Maka's ears caught the melody. The girl stopped her investigation, freezing in place before running to the railing.

"Maka?" Kid stopped as well but looked more confused than amazed.

Maka ignored him and leaned on the railing so she could get a better view of the young pianist. "Such beautiful music…"

Kid rolled his eyes as he took to the bookshelf behind them, scanning through the countless books lined up haphazardly. His right eyebrow twitched at the chaotic display, followed by his left for the sake of symmetry and the boy had to amass every last inch of his willpower not to make a scene. If he were anywhere else but in this section of the library surrounded by witches and Kishin ready to eat his and his friend's soul the moment the two teenagers were discovered, he'd make it a personal goal to arrange the books in a precise and perfect matter, preferably in a symmetrical arrangement.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

From the corner of his eye Soul saw a strange blond girl look at him in awe from a ledge above them.

At first he panicked, his fingers freezing in mid-air. He wasn't supposed to have people around him, that's why he had gone so far into the library in the first place-wait did that mean it was only him and _her?_

Oh no, what if she left and Soul never got to see who she was?

Gulping a lump and ignoring the slight lurch of his stomach, Soul continued mid-melody. Though it was less flowing and more sharp and structured, as Soul put his playing on auto-pilot, hesearched for the girl again, relieved when she saw her still leaning from the riling. Sure he had to turn his neck at an uncomfortable angle, but his face and hair were equally pale so he hoped the girl was too focused on his 'rad' piano skills .

Was she the one he'd sensed earlier? Focusing on her he saw that she was a blonde –which was cool 'cause he liked blonds- and was wearing a black cocktail dress that hugged her figure in all the right places. Soul was also relieved to see the girl with closed eyes, slowly swaying her head to his melody; it'd be awkward if the girl caught him staring at her.

Of course it was at that time that the mysterious girl opened her eyes revealing two green orbs, which subsequently locked with Soul's blood red ones.

He gave her a toothy smile.

The young girl jumped and vanished from sight much to the albino's disappointment. Soon enough he stopped the piano and sighed. Well, it was good until it lasted, he though bitterly to himself and stood up, heading towards the hall once more.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Maka however did not take their minor exchange so calmly and immediately and backed as much as she could from the railing until her back hit the wall.

"Maka-?"

"Damnit I think he saw me!"

"What-who did-when," Kid said as he abandoned the bags and assumed a battle stance. "We got found out didn't we, I told you s-"

"No no, we weren't completely found, everything's gonna be fine-"

At this precise moment an explosion rocked the library's foundation, with the entrance blown apart. Maka and Kid clutched on the wooden structure of the bookshelf as the ground itself shook causing a myriad of books to rain down on them.

Smoke filled their vision as countless dust particles swivelled around the rubble and broken furniture.

Maka sniffed from the dust and slowly piqued from under her cover, with Kid following her example.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A few figures stood on the entrance way. A thin pale white-haired man looking like a samurai, a young Asian girl in her late teens, a black stocky man in dreadlocks and a slender black woman clad in military cargo pants and tank top. They were surrounded by a group of people with varying backgrounds and nationalities as well, though the four of them stood at the centre of the group, with the two athletic man and woman being in the front of the attack.

The stocky man let out a fierce incomprehensible battle cry and all hell broke loose.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"This grabbed their attention," muttered the black-haired girl as she eyed the room's occupants warily.

"Don't get cocky now. We need to be careful and conserve our forces… considering how our stronger warriors left us years ago like traitors…"

"They had every right to leave, and now have children of their own to look after," the woman in military gear stated.

"They should have chosen the life of the warrior first."

"Nigus! Need your help here!"

The dark skinned woman gave the samurai a small glare which went unnoticed, before heading towards the stocky man. Meanwhile the younger girl looked away and bit her lip.

"Oi who the hell are you?" Black*Star yelled as he appeared from the rubble unharmed, causing the man and the teen to focus their attention on him. "What's your deal, distracting everyone from the perfection that is me!?"

"BlackStar?"

The voice, belonging to the stocky man who was now holding a knife, caused the teen to stop and blink in surprise. "Sid?" Black*Star squinted to get a better look at the man, the cloud of dust reducing the visibility of everyone in the, now destroyed, ball room.

"Don't get distracted Sid! He got taken and he's on their side now!" came a voice close to Sid, though Black*Star couldn't make up another person close to the stocky man.

Sid growled. "I know."

The other man stepped up. His shirt had a nametag which read 'Mifune'. "I'll take care of the child. Tsubaki?"

"I'm ready," the teen spoke softly as she bent her knees.

Black*Star gave the duo a wide grin. "So you wish to fight against the awesomeness that is me? This is going to be fun!" he exclaimed breaking into a wild grin.

To their surprise, Masamune also emerged from the cloud, looking at the girl with malice. "Damnit sister!"

This caused everyone to look at the young man.

"She's your sister?!" Black Star asked.

"Tsubaki?" Mifune asked in frustration.

"…Yes, he is." She looked at her relative with eyes as cold as steel. "Hello brother."

"So I see you followed the family path. How predictable."

"And I see you left us," the girl stated before her resolve faded away and looked at Masamune in concern. "Brother-"

"Don't you dare!" he screamed. "Don't you fucking dare look at me with that pitying glare of yours!"

Mifune grunted. "One should be respectful towards their family, even in conflict. I see your manners are lacking-"

He was interrupted by a loud snort from Black*Star. "Enough dillydallying, let's fight already!"

The assassin dived straight for the samurai while Tsubaki erupted into a flash of light.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Fuck!"

Another explosion shook the building and Maka had to cover her head to protect it from the sea of books spilling down on them. Kid wasn't further behind, the pale boy also doing his best to avoid the assault of books as both teenagers run along the now unstable platform.

"Ok plan A crashed and burned," Kid said with a strained tone, "let's move to plan B-"

"There's no plan B-"

"And we don't have a plan B, _brilliant_ -!"

Maka let out a frustrated sigh as she dashed away from the main fighting, running further into the heart of the ancient building.

"Maka wait-!"

The girl was just about to take a sharp left when her jacket was pulled her back, nearly choking her.

"What the hell-"

"Souls." Kid said as he pressed his body against the bookshelf. "Around the corner."

A 'gift' the two teenagers shared was the ability to see souls. These orbs, usually a pale blue if human, menacing red if Kishin and a fluorescent technicolour orb if witch, signified the life of another being, their very essence. It was a manifestation of the person themselves; souls showed their potential, their abilities, their personality.

And in these days souls were eaten to gain power. Kishin were created by eating countless amounts of souls, mostly human, though it wasn't unheard of Kishins committing cannibalism or eating a rogue witch's soul. The witches themselves were not interested in eating souls, unless they wanted to become a Kishin; instead they used souls in various experiments, rituals and spells mostly to cause chaos and increase their standing. The only thing humans could do was stay away, try to keep safe.

It was because of that need of survival some say that Soul Perception in humans arose. Maka and Kid had no idea where or how it came to be, Maka's parent and Kid's guardians remained tight-lipped. To have the ability was seen as a crime itself and Kid argued it was because it gave a chance for the rest of the population to react even potentially fight back against the world order, which made sense to Maka. Whatever the reason, the facts remained, and soul perception was seen as a taboo.

"What is it? Human? Witch? Kishin?"

The good thing was that no one could tell if a person had the ability or not and, unless betrayed by their own behaviour, one could use it without alerting another being; Soul Perception was as discreet and subtle as a human's soul.

"It's blurry."

As for Maka and Kid, both shared this ability though it manifested in different ways. Kid's seemed to be perpetually on, the boy admitting being able to see souls since he could remember himself. The range of his ability kept increasing throughout the years, to the point where Kid could sense a soul from 100 meters away. However it seemed Kid's ability was not fully functional; though he could sense a soul itself he could never get any more information like it's colour, wavelength even something as obvious as size. Kid compared his vision like seeing through a fogged glass.

Maka nodded in understanding and then closed her eyes in concentration. "Let me try."

In contrast Maka had to will her Soul Perception on, something she wasn't always successful about. Her range was much more limited to Kid's as well, at around 20 meters. Despite that her sense was much more accurate, and still very developed for her age. Maka could accurately weigh the size colour, and power of an individual's soul, though the intricacies of character and the like evaded her.

As she let out a long breath, Maka focused on the space around her, on the blackness spread over her vision. Slowly but surely three faint light appeared to her right where Kid had pointed before. The lights grew brighter and Maka could make out three large blue souls, pulsating with power.

The girl opened her eyes in surprise and let out a gasp causing Kid to look at her with scrunched eyebrows.

"What's wrong?"

"The people there, they're human."

This in turn cause Kid's frame to tense. "Probably the people that attacked this place."

"You think they're after the book as well?" Maka absent-mindedly asked, half her attention to the three blue orbs around the corner.

"Could be," Kid whispered as he too looked towards the two souls. "Maybe the notes were sent to more to people in a group…"

"How did Azusa and Marie end up getting one? Last time I checked you guys weren't involved in any of the revolutionary groups."

"It's not like we could even if we wanted to. Last week the Caretakers watching over us nearly doubled in number."

"It was when you found the note right?"

"Yeah," kid nodded, deep in thought. "I overheard Marie and Azusa arguing late at night in the kitchen. I… I think I may have heard a third voice but I'm not sure. Anyways I tried to sneak close to them but Azusa must have spotted me 'cause they both went quiet and then Marie came out and pretended she had a fight with Azusa."

"Hiding stuff from us again."

"Most likely. After that I entered my bedroom until they slept, and found the note in the trashcan."

The both went quiet, focusing once again on the human souls.

"They're staying in one place. Probably looking for something."

Maka let out an affirmative hum, instead concentrating on the souls themselves. All three belonged to men; two of them seemed relatively average if not a bit powerful and oddly enough complementing each other. Was there a connection between the two souls Maka felt?

No matter. Maybe the third soul would provide more insight. So Maka turned her focus on the third blue orb…

To feel the soul stare back at her.

Her breath hitched. Kid fidgeted in place as well and a small glance revealed him staring at the corner as well, his soul emitting what Maka recognized as dread.

"Guys," the two teens heard a masculine voice, and heard a pair of footsteps heading to their hiding spot, "we got company."

"Run-!"

"Eh-?!"

"They know where we are-Run!" Kid yelled as he dashed out of the hiding spot Maka following behind as she saw him tackle a large tan man, the one who spoke before, to the ground. The knocked out man had light chin curtain beard and close-cut hair with contains four darker stripes running from front to back, with one located directly on top of his head and the other three present on the right side. Maka turned around to face the two remaining humans.

They looked quite young, around her age. The boy was bald with only two pointy bunches of black hair next his ears, dressed in a white shirt and formal dress pants while holding a long staff on one hand and a heavy hardback book on the other- strangely Maka didn't see another person.

The boy let out a surprised gasp and the book fell from his lap. He readied the spear letting out a yell that was anything but fierce and ran towards Maka.

The girl rolled to the right before as the boy crashed with the bookshelf behind her, knocking down more books and distracting him, the same moment Maka stood up and pulled her right hand clutching a book back.

" _Maka Chop!_ "

The boy didn't know what him, collapsing on the stop and Maka swore she heard another yell coming from the boy's direction-

"The book!" Maka's attentions was forced away as she saw Kid pick up the heavy tome the bald boy had dropped earlier and look at it wide-eyed. "That's it- That's the book on the note-!"

Kid's excited yells were interrupted by a heavy groan as the man he had tackled earlier was now slowly trying to stand up. At the same time the boy had managed to escape the book pile, still clutching the long golden staff which seemed to radiate with anger.

"Damnit!"

Maka slid down and grabbed the two cloth bags, a fleeting glance revealed notes upon notes but the girl had no time to react as she dodged another beam of bright light, this time too close for comfort as the hairs on the back of her head stood up.

"Kid get the book and run!"

So they ran away from the pair, up the stairs and unto the unstable platform once again, towards the fight they were trying to leave from before.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

They had made it onto the balcony hoping to make it into one of the side exits, hopefully the ventilation again…

"Over there!" Kid yelled as he spotted a hole in the wall leading to one of the street they had come from.

"You go first."

"Don't do something stupid Maka-"

The ground shook once again and the floor below them angled in a way that was the least encouraging.

"Just go!" Maka screamed barely able to make anything from the acoustic pandemonium around them, yells screams and explosions creating a cacophony of sounds that would haunt her for weeks.

Kid didn't protest and jumped over the gap, barely landing on the pile of rubble around the hole and he turned to Maka "Ok now's your turn-"

Before he could finish the sentence there was another loud crash and part of the balcony to the edge where Maka was standing gave away, the girl backing away as the concrete broke down to rain down on a sea of people downstairs.

For a few excruciating moments the two teenagers lost contact with each other. Kid looked back and forward frantically. Thankfully the battle was contained to the inside of the library and the streets outside were quiet; if he and Maka left from the wall they should be able to make it alright.

The smoke started to clear up and Kid recognized his friend's black dress, feeling a huge weight lifted of his chest. Maka was alright- she hadn't fallen to her doom.

Only to see the gap between them was too wide that it was humanly possible to jump over.

"Kid, what are you doing-Get out of here!"

"I can't leave you alone!"

"We have to split up!" she yelled as she picked up two heavy cloth bags. "You go through the alleys I'll go through the main road!"

"Maka that's where the fighting is! This is suicide!"

Another tremor rocked the building. "Dammit Kid, we can't be seen together or your folk will be in trouble as well-everyone'd distracted by the fighting they won't notice me! You be careful going through the alleyways!"

Kid opened his mouth to protest but Maka gave him a determined glare.

"Be careful!" Maka said.

Kid gave her friend a long look before answering. "You as well! Spirit will skin me alive if your soul gets taken!"

"Same!" the girl replied with a small smile.

Maka turned and run towards the flight of stairs whereas Kid jumped down and ran into the spider web of darkly-lit alleyways.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Black*Star came fast at the man with a left jab but was countered by the blunt edge of a katana materializing out apparently out of nowhere. The teen glowered in frustration before coming to the man again and again, only for his martial attacks to be blocked time and time again, the samurai using only the blunt edge of his sword.

The boy was fighting against Mifune and Tsubaki, Masmaune having left since the beginning if their battle.

"What's the big deal man-too scared to use a katana the proper way?! Are you afraid of my awesomeness?"

Black*Star spun around, getting out of the man's block and whirling around for a high kick, but was blocked again.

"You're too much of a coward right?!"

The man's eyes narrowed. His stance faltered.

Black*Star saw the opening and pulled his fist back for a devastating punch.

"Smokebomb!"

Dense grey smoke surrounded the two warriors, disorienting the teen as he flayed around wildly.

Black*Star coughed. "Come out ya big coward and face me like a man!"

A shadow rushed through the boy's side and Black*Star went after it only to find air.

"What-" A sturdy chain had wrapped itself along Black*Star's leg, "-the hell-?" Mifune pulled on the chain and the teen went flying.

The kid collided with one of the pillars sending the whole gallery crashing down, Maka along with it.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Meanwhile Soul was trying his damnest to retain his physical integrity. His mother and brother had managed to go out safely but soon enough some blue haired kid started fighting with some other samurai bastard right in front of the goddamned entrance, meaning if Soul wanted to get through there he would be reduced to slices.

In the distance Soul heard a female scream only to see the girl from before fall from the collapsing gallery into a pile of rubble. Cursing loudly he ran towards her, trying his best not to get caught in the cross fire. Panting heavily, he finally reached his target as the girl slowly rose up a pair of cloth bags still clutched in her hands and a backpack. One of them was torn spilling out its contents. What worried Soul more though was the trail of red blood on the girl's temple.

"Hey!" he yelled kneeing next to the girl. "Are you ok?"

"Don't shout," the girl mumbled, as she sat up and clutched her bleeding temple. "I'm fine," she turned to look at Soul and her eyes widened in realization. "You're the pianist from before!" she said, scrambling on her feet.

"That's not important, you're bleeding!"

The girl looked at him confused before bringing a hand on her forehead. "Oh," she said observing the fresh blood. "That's just a scratch. I've had worse."

A small rock flew right past them into the wall as both took cover behind a small pile of rubble.

"Damnit all," the girl cursed as she brought her backpack in front of her and stuffed it with as many papers as she could.

"Hey what are you doing?"

"Uh…" the girl said before looking away. "It doesn't matter. If you want to report me go right ahead, I don't even care-"

"Report you? That's so not cool! Do you think I'm a snitch?" The boy huffed, instinctively clutching the side of his arm like an old wound. "Why are you stealing…notes in the first place?"

The girl finished filling her bag with the papers as she struggled with the zipper, ignoring the white haired boy completely.

"Look I get it, now's not the time to talk. We need to get out of here," another rock flew past their heads, "before we get turned into paste." He hesitantly looked at her. "You're not with these people are you?"

"Maybe I am. What is it to you?"

"Fine, if you want to be a bitch about I got no problem."

"Whose side are you on?"

Soul looked at her and growled to himself. "Doesn't matter. They all suck."

The girl let out an incomprehensible sound –Soul hoped she agreed with him- before slinging her backpack on her back.

"Damnit," Maka cursed as she fell back on the rubble. "If dad was with me there'd be no problem…"

"Daddy's girl?"

"Hell no! I hate him! Mom left 'cause of him and he's so overprotective –he won't even let me practice my Meister-" immediately her eyes widened and clasped her hand on her mouth.

"Meister?" Soul had heard that term once before. It was when the 'caretakers' had come to their place for the general inspection. They'd dragged Soul off like an animal, as his brother tried to fight back but was tackled to the ground while his mother screamed he could be cured… What saved him was his mom who gave away the names of Weapons and Meisters. Her tattle was the reason why they couldn't live in the wasteland as safely as one could anymore. But the term Meister… it had to be related to the weapons, to what he was. And considering most demon weapons had to be handled by someone…

"You know how to wield a demon weapon?" Soul asked in surprise. A small hopeful feeling made itself known in the back of his head. Could it be?

"I didn't say anything!" the girl quickly said.

"That's a bad lie and you now it. No spill." Despite his hostile attitude Soul's heart thumped with anticipation. A whirlwind of emotions run themselves through him. The girl's scowled lessened when she saw the boy's eager expression.

"Scythe-Meister," she whispered ."Tell anyone and I'll take your soul."

Soul inwardly cheered. He felt like his heart would jump out of his chest in elation and gave the girl a face-splitting grin. "I think we found a way out."

"Huh?"

"Hold out your hands."

Confused, the girl did so. "Wait what are you planning-"

With a bright flash the boy turned into a metal scythe. The scythe blade was black and red, separated by a zig-zagged line. Next to the blade was a shape resembling a red eye with a black pupil, framed by a dark grey outline.

"YOU'RE A WEAPON?!"

The white-haired boy's reflection appeared at the side of the blade, giving Maka a sharp-toothed smirk. "Oi you want to get out of here alive, you'll have to fight! Now get out and be cool!" Soul was on the seventh could right now. He had a Meister even if temporarily-!

The girl gave the scythe a hesitant look. Then she saw the boy's grin reflected on the metal surface, and a victorious grin etched in her face as well.

"You're right. Let's get out of here," Maka said confidently and stepped into the fray.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Tsubaki, smokebomb!"

Another grey cloud of smoke manifested itself. Mifune appeared outside of it and with a glow a katana formed again at his hand. "That was close…"

Black*Star emerged from the smoke as well. "That was cool! Hey katana-weapon!"

Tsubaki's surprised face appeared at the blade. "Yes?"

"Why are with a deadbeat like this guy anyway?- I mean the only reason I haven't beaten him yet is cause of you."

The other man however remained calm at the insult. "It's no use. Our kinds have been fighting for centuries. A simple mind like you couldn't understand."

"What that an insult? I'LL KICK YOUR ASS TO NEXT THURSDAY YA BASTARD!"

Black*Star's battle cry/insult was a cut short as a man came flying and knocked Mifune out of Black*Star's sight and into the nearby the wall.

"Mifune!" the weapon gasped, before taking a good look at the other man. "Sid!"

"I'm… still alive."

"You don't look the part."

True to Mifune's words, Sid's frame was littered with bruises, clothes torn in multiple places to reveal deep bleeding gashes.

The stocky man let out a pained grin. "I'm not the kind of man to give up. And then there's the promise we made to you…"

Mifune gave him a hard look. "I know. I'll find her even if I have to cut down everyone in here."

Sid slowly stood up. "How are things at your end?"

"There's this child warrior… I'd hate to cut him down…"

"Is his name Black Star?"

"How do you know?"

"You may want to find a different opponent. Many years ago we raided the Star Clan."

The man nodded slowly as he brought himself up.

"There was a baby there. I couldn't bring myself to kill it so I brought him back and raised him."

"That's the boy," Mifune concluded and Sid mournfully nodded. "There's no point fretting… He chose to side with the Kishin… that's his mistake"

Sid remained silent.

"If it's any consolation you raised him into a fine warrior."

"OI JACKASSES!" came a familiar cracking teenage voice, the boy appearing through the smoky battlefield.

"Though his manners are lacking."

"There you are! Thought you'd get away from the amazing Black*Star?!" The boy's stance briefly faltered as he regarded the other presence, yet his grin returned shortly after like nothing happened. "Sup old man? Figured I'd run into you sooner or later."

"Black*Star stop this! Why are you defending those murderers anyway?!"

"Defending? I'm not fighting for these rotten bastards!"

"What?"

"I fight 'cause I want to! Eventually I'll take down the gods so don't you dare go easy on me old man! Same goes for you katana-girl!"

"My name is Tsubaki," the girl quietly muttered. Black*Star seemed to have picked up in her comment.

"Tsubaki then!"

"…Yes?"

"You're a pretty cool weapon." He readied into a battle stance. "Show me what you got."

Mifune's grasp tightened on her handle as Tsubaki bit her lip.

The fight between the boy and the man went on. Black*Star landed a few solid punches on Mifune yet the man with the help of Tsubaki managed to deflect the most devastating attacks and return any damaged caused.

Eventually Black*Star found himself gasping for breath, and found standing up a relatively hard task.

"Goddamnit… rotten bastard."

"Mifune…"

"Back down and I will spare your life."

"…Ha."

Mifune's eyes widened.

"Hahahaha!" The boy continued laughing. "That's some kind of joke right?! I mean me the great Black*Star being taken down by a bunch of morta-"

And it was at that precise time that a girl rushed past them with a fierce battle cry and also accidentally hitting Black*Star over with the blunt edge of the scythe she was carrying and knocking the young assassin out cold.

Both weapon and Meister looked at the scene with confusion witch turned to full blown shock when they saw the knocked out assassin.

"He's out cold…" Tsubaki said letting a small sigh of relief. "Now we can focus on finding Ange-"

"No."

"Eh?"

"He's too strong. If we let him live he will only cause more losses."

"Mifune no, I thought you said-"

"Doesn't matter."

The man approached the fallen boy with slow deliberate steps.

"Mifune stop, please…"

The man knelt to the boy.

"Mifune we agreed that-"

"He's part of the Star Clan!"

This shocked the girl into silence.

"Mifune!"

The man turned his head ever so slightly.

Running towards him was a young girl, dressed in a chameleon themed black dress.

Tsubaki let out a sigh of relief. "That's Angela, we found her! Now we can back down and let Sid…"

Tsubaki was raised menacingly over the boy's throat. "Meister and Weapon are supposed to cooperate Tsubaki." His grasp tightened on the katana.

The teen clenched her teeth. There was small spark between Mifune's skin and Tsunaki's handle.

"No."

With a flash of light, the girl returned to her human form and stood between the man and the boy. "You're not killing him! Not with me, I won't let you-"

"Are you out of your mind girl?! That boy is of the Star Clan, of the very same who eliminated your-"

"He personally hasn't done anything to me-And neither have so many people before him!"

"So you deny your ancestors-"

"Don't put words in my mouth! The reason…!" Tsubaki sniffed and took a deep breath to stop her frame from shaking. "… The reason I partnered up with you is that I wanted to fight by your honour by the standards you preached… now I see you're as bad as the head priest…"

Sid was thrown once again towards them. His clothes were stained with blood and part of his skull was showing through his skin. He looked at the two of them in confusing, half-glazed eyes "Tsubaki… Mifune, what's…"

"Tsubaki has turned traitorous. Though not uncommon for her kind, the effects this will have on the Nakatsukasa Clan…"

"I don't care, I refuse to stain my blade with the blood more innocent blood! I refuse you Mifune, I refuse Sid, and the operation and everything you stand for!"

"We… have… to fight… Have one Gorgon sister…"

"No! Enough… enough of this!" The weapon turned towards the fallen boy. She perched him on his shoulders.

Mifune took a step towards her.

"Take another step closer and it is your throat that will be sliced."

Mifune continued walking. Tsubaki backed up to a wall. Her right arm started glowing.

"Mifune! Tsubaki!" The chameleon-dressed girl was now a few meters away, running towards the two with a wide of her face and heading for the parson closest to her, namely Tsubaki.

"No Angela, don't go to her-!"

The girl hugged Tsubaki's leg while the weapon gave the man a cold stare.

"Angela," she said with her tone as cold as ice. "Go to Mifune. Mifune…" she turned to the samurai, "none of us want to hurt Angela. But sometimes we are forced to do things we don't want."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Take Angela and leave. Now."

The man glared at the girl as he took the protesting child. Throwing a final sombre look at his bloody comrade the man turned around and ran away from the fighting.

"Traitors… all of you…"

Tsubaki gave Sid one last look, her gaze softening. She sniffed. "You can't betray something if you never believed in in," she said before turning away and leaving, ignoring how her sight trembled, how her face became hotter how her eyes puffed out.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

With scythe in hand and backpack on shoulder Maka bolted to the demolished door, jumping over debris, bodies and dodging magic blasts, more debris and the occasional projectile weapon.

"Outta the way!" she yelled jumping over the blue-haired boy before spinning the scythe to deflect a knife headed her way, though she felt some resistance from her scythe; the blade must have hit something. She gracefully landed and kept running.

Soul laughed as his Meister used him to deflect obstacles, jump over obstacle and occasionally lightly maim people. This was amazing! 'Normal' people were missing out!

Maka dashed out of the library, running as fast as she could to leave the pandemonium behind her. She jumped over railings, fences and few some dark alleys.

Finally, when the sounds of destruction were subdued to the point of a low rumble the teen came to a stop, leaning against a wall and trying vainly to catch her breath.

The scythe loosely held on her arm glowed and formed a bright blue ball, before jumping off her hand and transforming into the excited white-haired boy.

"That was so cool!" Soul shouted, giving the girl a wide toothy smile. "Man, we're really good at this!"

Maka looked at the boy still panting heavily from exhaustion. Seeing the boy trying to hide his ecstatic expression, she couldn't help but let out a small smile as well. "Yeah… that was cool."

The boy grinned right back. "Yeah we make a good team," his expression faltered. "What's your name again?"

Maka stood up. She didn't know the boy's name as well! How had they forgotten that? "I'm Maka Albarn. You?"

"Soul Ev- I mean, just Soul," the boy hastily covered his mistake.

"Nice…" the girl huffed before glancing back at the destruction. "This was insane… "

"Yeah my ma's gonna freak when she gets over her shock. Yours?"

"I live with my dad, but same." Maka awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Though he didn't really know I'd come here…"

"Uh, about before," Soul nonchalantly asked. "You said you practiced with your dad? Does that mean your old man's a-"

"I don't think we should stay here long. A caretaker may show up."

Soul's expression darkened. "Oh right. You have a point." He ran a hand through his spiky hair. "So uh…"

"Uh…" Maka stumbled as well. Should she just say goodbye like strangers, even though they'd worked so well together?

"Do you want to... meet up or something?"

"Yeah- I mean um yes, I'd love to! Where do you live?"

"I don't think visiting my folk's a good idea. Where's your place?"

Maka looked away a well. "We're not so big on a permanent housing… Want to meet up at the Outer Central Square?"

"How about the one outside the Inner Walls? It's uh… closer to my place."

"Oh so you live…" the girl's face fell for one brief second. "Sure. Do you want to… meet up the day after tomorrow? At 5?" Maka said in a hopeful tone.

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Soul agreed. "So…"

A large dong echoed through the streets. "Crap, I have to go home." Before Soul could protest, Maka stood up and run opposite of him through the alleyway. "See you later!" she happily yelled and took a right vanishing from Soul's point of view.

"Yeah," Soul said as he happily raised a hand in goodbye as well until the girl vanished from view. Then his hand fell down lifelessly and he adopted a morose expression. "See you later…" he muttered as she slowly made his way back to the library.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Meanwhile a frantic Kid was racing through the alleyway. Goddamnit, he had told Maka her plan was stupid. And now he could only hope she and he could make to his house safe with their souls intact. If not… Kid had seen the creatures that had lost their souls… wandering around lifelessly before slowly being eaten inside out by worms… Though their bodies functioned their minds, their essence was gone… Devoured by a wannabe Kishin or offered as a sacrifice to an actual one.

Kid stopped to catch his breath as he bent down on a corner, clutching the book in his lap.

Maka… was she going to be alright? Yes, it was safer to go on the main street, especially since on first appearance Maka didn't look like outlaw material… but still Kid couldn't help but worry.

A loud gunshot brought Kid back to reality as he hid behind the wall next to a trashcan. Around the corner he heard a man wailing as a female voice spoke up.

"Quit whining. Now give us all you've got," her voice was gruff and had a sardonic feel to it.

"Yeah ya bastard! We own your stuff now!" A second female voice spoke up. This one belonged to a younger girl, probably at her early teen. The combination of her high-pitched bubbly voice with the demented chuckle sent a shiver up Kid's spine.

"I don't… this is all I have…" came the victim's sobs. Male, Kid noticed. Middle-aged.

"Shit. That's nothing. Can't even get us proper food."

Thieves? Oh great, just his usual luck. He could always run away if they found him, book be damned even if it meant a Maka Chop.

But then the following comment caused the teen to freeze in place.

"Hey sissy? His soul seems tasty!"

Kid's eyes widened while the man's cries intensified. Good grief, it couldn't be.

"Oh Kishin no! Show mercy!"

The girls ate souls.

"That's a funny example of mercy you just brought up. You think the high-and-mighty Kishin God cares for a shitty soul like yours?" The elder girl let out a patronizing chuckle. "Gimme a fucking break." Her chuckle turned into a slow raspy laugh. "Patty I feel a bit hungry."

A demented giggle echoed in the street. "You haven't had much food lately sis!"

There was a sound of a gun going off. Kid's breath hitched. He could sense it the lone soul nearby. Again, the need to get near it and do… something was so overwhelming.

Without realizing he had stood up and walked towards the murder scene just a few meters away from the two girls. The younger one hang in the background as the other one grabbed the pale blue orb and devoured it with one bite.

Kid felt sick.

Then the younger girl turned towards him, a mad glint in her eye. "Hey Lizzie! I found your dessert!"

In a few seconds Kid was pinned to the wall, the book he was carrying falling to the sideways as the Liz kneed him in the abdomen.

"Look at you, a damn scholar. Fancy dress as well, you some rich kid?" 'Lizzie' said as she leered in closer.

"Please. I don't want any trouble. I just…" Kid trailed off. I _just stole from the Central Library and have no idea if my best friend is still alive._ "I just wish to go home."

"Home eh? Funny that, must be nice having one and a family as well. Mommy must be so worried that her little brat is out so late at night."

"I don't have a mother. I live with my guardians."

The girl shrugged, pushing the weapon harder on his neck. Kid gasped on air.

"Sorry but what can ya do kid? It's an eat-or-be-eaten world out there." Her finger slightly tugged on the trigger. "And I don't wanna be food." In a last attempt Kid looked up at her, his terrified eyes locking with his attacker's blue ones. For a moment they seemed to soften but turned to steel again.

She pulled the trigger.

The boy's body crumpled to the floor as Liz waited from his soul to appear. The boy seemed to have an abnormally large one… all the better for her, Liz thought.

A loud explosion came a few blacks away and both sisters turned around, afraid they'd been ambushed-

"Goddamnit, what the hell happened now?" the elder one cursed as she saw smoke coming up from the library.

Strange. Their most recent victim was carrying a book as well…

"Sissy?"

"What is it Patty?" she said as she glanced back at her sister.

The younger sister was looking on the opposite direction. "The weird boy is gone."

"What?!"

Liz immediately turned around, only to confirm her sister's statement. Where the body of the kid should have been now it was empty besides the books he was carrying. The only thing that ever confirmed he was there was the book he was carrying and a thin trail of blood going towards the adjacent alleyway before stopping completely.

"How… How did that little brat manage to survive our bullets?!"

"Maybe he was a pre-Kishin? Maybe he wanted to get off too…"

The elder sister scoffed. "Trust me Patty. He ain't one of us," the elder sister said as he bent down to lift the book up, frowning at the title. "I can guarantee you that."

And as the two sisters vanished into the night, a thin trembling figure rose from behind the trashcan.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Premise Idea taken from ChildrenAreMySoulFood at Fanfiction.net.  
> This chapter is a super long 12,000 words, but subsequent chapters will be around the 3,000-5,000 mark. If everything goes as planned, updates will be once every two weeks.  
> Please comment! I'm planning for this to be pretty long and I wonder what's the first impression one gets when reading this ^.^


	2. Home Is Where The Monsters Aren't

 

If one was to look at New York from above, they would come across a strange sight. The city itself was massive, stretching from the mainland to the coast to the two islands close by. The western part of the city, located on the island furthest away from the shore, saw great luxuries with tall imposing buildings such as the Central Library and the Witches' courthouse dominating the skyline with their impressive contorted frames. As for the eastern part of the island, it's an amalgamation of small houses often in bad condition and haphazardly built next to, and occasionally on top, of each other. The contrast was made all the more prominent by an enormous barbed metal fence, frequently interrupted with many small and modest guardhouses, observing -and occasionally violently stopping- the flow of populations between the two districts, mostly those trying to sneak from Queens to Brooklyn.

It was in one of those small and worn houses on Brooklyn, a two-story, graffiti-laden brick building, where Maka Albarn was playing with a loose sting protruding from the patches of an old sofa.

"Good grief, Maka sweetie are you alright? What were you thinking?!" yelled a blonde woman, clad in a long black dress, eyeing the teen like she had just jumped off a building. The woman, Marie Mjolnir, was a short, curvy but deceptively strong Scandinavian woman. 'Miss Marie', as the teen always called her, was one of Kid's 'guardians' though Maka thought their relationship felt more like an overprotective mother- annoyed son one. Most people saw her meek appearance and assumed she was weak; they would be swiftly corrected when she 'lightly patted' them in the back and caused them to crash head-first into the pavement. After all, as Miss Marie said herself, the eye patch she wore on her left eye should be warning enough –and a battle scar to boot.

"I'm disappointed in you, Albarn," said the second woman in the room, Yumi Azusa. Azusa, as she preferred being called by her surname, was Kid's second guardian, a stern woman hailing from East Asia whose scowl could terrify the bravest of souls. What she lacked in strength she made up with her imposing, and often downright scary strict attitude.

Said scowl was now pointed at Maka's direction and the girl sank further into the couch.

"Azusa, not now," muttered Marie sending a relieved glance at Maka's direction. "We know that Maka's fine, we should find Kid as well-"

Needless to say, Azusa's 'Committee Queen' attitude clashed wildly with Marie's 'The Pulveriser', making Kid's household life anything but boring.

"Yes now Marie," Azusa said before turning to the teenager. "Young lady. I may not be your parent, but what were you and Kid thinking, getting out at this time of hour and sneaking into the inner district?" Despite the calm tone, Azusa's remarks felt scathing and the teen could only look stubbornly in the distance while enduring the tirade.

"Maka, do you know where Kid is?" Marie's voice interrupted the girl from her musings and focused on the woman, trying her best to ignore Azusa's glower in the background.

"We split up but I'm sure he's fine. He took the safer route through the alleyways but it takes more time to get here."

"So he'll be ok?" Both women's frames seemed to visibly deflate in relief, with Marie letting out a small sigh while Azusa closed her eyes and rubbed her brow.

"Yeah, pretty much," the girl said eyeing her backpack. Fortunately it was made from sturdy material and was rip-free, so she hadn't spilled any of the notes onto the street. Combined with the book Kid had, Maka felt a small bubble of excitement rising, fuelled by the knowledge her curiosity would be satisfied soon. Of course she hadn't mentioned the 'loot' at the two women as she could only imagine the lecture she'd get then.

Said excitement immediately disappeared when a thin figure appeared through a trapdoor on the centre of the living room, with no book in sight.

"Kid you're home safe!" Marie figuratively launched herself at the boy, holding him tight. "I was so worried when Maka said you split up!"

Kid coughed uncomfortably at the tight embrace. "A-Air…"

"Let him breathe Marie." Azusa came next to the woman putting a hand to her shoulder. The blonde eventually let Kid off her grip only tousle with his hair to which Kid gave her an annoyed half-hearted glare, only to face his second guardian who gave him a long look.

"You're home safe," Azusa finally said, brushing some of Kid's stray strands away and inspecting him for any injuries.

"Safe is a relative term. Is Maka…?" Kid leaned to the side, only to see his grumpy friend currently trying to merge with the couch.

"We're busted."

"I noticed."

"Why did you use the trapdoor?" Azusa asked.

The boy crossed his arms in indignation. "The 'caretakers' are right outside our house."

"Again?" Marie scoffed. "It's like they expect us to go out at night in the first place."

"That's not important now," Azusa interrupted the two. "Young man, to the couch."

"I'm going," Kid drawled as closed the trapdoor and plopped right next to Maka on the old patched-up couch.

Maka saw her friend fidgeting with his fingers, a gesture he did whenever he was feeling nervous. "You ok?" she whispered. "The book, is it-?"

"Later," Kid whispered back.

"Quiet the both of you. You are in a world of trouble, Maka your father is already on his way-"

It was then that the trapdoor was thrown open once again and a frantic red-headed man burst through.

"Maka sweetie are you hurt?!" The moment he located the blonde girl the man ran out and engulfed the young girl in a protective hug, much to Maka's revulsion.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone!" Maka gave her dad an annoyed scowl as she tried her best to escape his clutches in vain.

The one-sided hug was broken when Azusa gave the pair another of her infamous strict looks, causing Spirit to yelp, let go of Maka and shrunk in his seat next to his daughter.

"Good, now that we're all gathered here we can get to the point-"

Marie's calm comment was interrupted by Azusa seemed to be on full lecture mode. "Young man, young lady you are in a world trouble. What on Earth motivated you to pull such a rash, idiotic stunt in the first place-"

This went on for a while, the teens helplessly being scolded and nodding mechanically in the rare instance their input was asked.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

An uncertain amount of time had passed. Azusa's tirade was on-going and showed no signs of stopping, and whereas Kid had resigned to his fate with the ease only experience could yield and sunk only slightly into the couch, Maka's furious blush deepened with each word.

"-You are both grounded and if I see you trying to anything equally unreasonable-"

"It wasn't unreasonable!" The metaphorical dam was broken. Maka let her anger show, standing up and giving the adults a heated glare.

"Maka, no-" Kid warned from the side.

"I don't want you or Marie or papa telling us more lies-!" which the teen pointedly ignored.

"What-?"

"Why the world is as it is in the first place! I've asked you Miss Marie and papa but you refuse to say anything, like it's some big secret! What happened 800 years ago? 15 years ago? What's the Kishin?! Why do people worship it in the first place?!" Maka sniffed. "Why do people eat souls? And why…" her voice cracked, "why do you have to hide the fact you're weapons?! Why do Kid and I have to hide the fact we're Meisters?! Why are you papa, a criminal, whereas Miss Marie and Miss Azusa on probation cause they think you're weapons?! Why do people hate you for that?!"

This shocked the adults to silence. Maka sniffed and rubbed her nose with her sleeve, giving them a weak scowl before plopping back into the couch next to a silent Spirit and an uncomfortable Kid.

"That's what you feel too, right Kid?!" Maka addressed the other teen, when it looked like she wouldn't get a proper answer.

"I'm… more curious about souls, but I want to know as well…"

"What's the big deal anyways?! We're fifteen, we're not children!"

Spirit and Marie looked at each other in hesitation and then turned to Azusa.

The Asian woman let out a long-suffering sigh. "This conversation will get us nowhere."

"Well, there's no point staying up. It's already late," Marie hurriedly suggested. "I think we should head to bed. Spirit, you and Maka should stay here. You know it's not safe to be out at this hour, especially…" she made a motion.

"There they go again," Maka hissed to her friend. "What's the big deal anyway? Why do they have to be so secretive about everything?!"

"I don't know."

"Maka, use the bunk bed," Azusa said, picking up some glasses from the coffee table. "Spirit…" he gave the scythe a pointed look. "Couch."

Meanwhile Kid had managed to slip away and silently head for his room. He had already walked past the wall-gap separating the living room from the rest of the house and had almost made it to his door.

"Kid," came Azusa's calm-before-the-storm voice and the boy's frame visibly deflated, "you're grounded."

"Yes ma'am," they all said in unison.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Maka settled in the top bunk bed. She heard flushing sounds coming from somewhere in the house and Kid appeared through the door, dressed in a baggy grey t-shirt and black boxers. Maka herself used one of Marie's pink t-shirts as well as Kid's sweatpants, since they were the only ones which fit her.

She heard the boy plopping onto the bed, the old frame creaking at the extra eight. Shuffling noises followed as Kid brought the faded colourful sheet and naked duvet over his small frame.

"Hey," Maka whispered as she leaned over the edge to look at him. Yellow half-lidded eyes stared back at.

"Hey," Kid replied only with much less enthusiasm.

"So, about today…"

"Did you manage to get out alright?"

"Yeah that wasn't a problem. Something… amazing happened though…"

"Go on," Kid murmured as he made himself comfortable on the flattened pillows.

"Well…" Maka said as she rolled around on her bed. "You know that we're both Meisters right? And that I've been practising with papa whenever it's safe?"

Kid made an agreeing sound.

"And that despite our connection being strong because of the family relationship, it's not exactly a Meister-Weapon connection?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"I think I found my Weapon partner."

"What?!" Kid scrambled to his feet and grabbed the upper bed sideways railings so he could see Maka clearly. "You're pulling my leg."

"No I'm not!" the girl excitedly murmured as she sat cross-legged and faced Kid. "The boy we saw earlier with the piano was actually a demon scythe! We were both trying to get away with our souls attached and we hid behind some rocks. Then we started talking, one thing led to another and, I kinda let out I was a Meister, he told me he was a weapon and then there we were like a proper Weapon-Meister pair! The connection was so strong… it was like we were in sync."

"You probably were, that's how the thing is supposed to work," Kid said with a smile of his own. "What about the guy, what was his name again?" he asked.

"Soul," Maka said excitedly. "I think he's an albino. He has cute with white hair and red eyes and well…" she blushed and looked away. "His weapon form is cool as well; it's a red-black metal scythe, kinda like papa but much cooler."

"Is he safe as well?"

"Actually he said we could meet up the day after tomorrow morning on the square outside the upper level gate. You should come as well Kid."

"Well, I'm not sure if I want to ruin the date," Kid slyly commented as he fell back to his bed and snuggled under the frayed duvet.

"What?!" she hissed as her blushed face appeared over the bed's edge.

"He was 'cute'?" Kid paraphrased with raised eyebrows.

Maka's blush deepened as she rolled back on her stomach and hid her face in the pillows. "Shut up."

"I didn't imply anything. If I wanted to, I would mention how your parents were also a Meister and Weapon pair-"

Maka's hand emerged from the frame and a pillow collided with his face.

"Oomph. Must you resort to violence?" came a muffled voice from the pillow.

"I said shut up!" Maka hissed and she leaned over, only to get hit in the face with her own pillow.

"Retribution."

She huffed, grabbing the pillow and putting it back on her bed. "Whatever. Besides I don't think we'll meet again, he might have set the meeting so I wouldn't feel bad. He probably doesn't even remember me. And from the clothes he was wearing, his family is probably one of those fancy ones, pro-Kishin and all so it's not like it could work out."

"Would you like it to work out?"

"Would you like to get with a book this time?"

"Fair enough," Kid brought up his hands in surrender, "let's change the subject."

"...So," Maka mumbled as she rolled right back to see Kid below. "How was your trip? And the book…?."

"I lost it."

"What?! How?!"

"…I… got shot."

Maka let out a soft gasp. "Are you hurt?!"

"No, no I'm actually… fine."

The girl gave him a disbelieving look.

"No really, I'm surprised too-"

"What happened?"

"I was in the alleys heading back home, when I heard someone being mugged around the corner. I hid behind the wall and…" Kid looked away. "The muggers were two sisters, one of them was a weapon, a gun to be more specific, and I think the other was a Meister… I couldn't get a good look."

"Really?" Maka said with a small hope.

"Didn't mean they were friendly," Kid muttered. "They… were Kishin-wannabes. After they mugged the man they… ate his soul. It was disgusting." The boy shook his head. "Unfortunately I gave away my position and they pinned me as well."

"And they shot you?"

Kid nodded grimly. "It hurt a lot, like I'd banged my head into a steel wall. Everything was fuzzy, the sounds were muffled and it felt like a red hot nail had been lodged into my brain."

Maka shuddered.

"But then the pain faded and I felt... ok actually. I was lying on the floor when it happened and the two muggers were distracted from the smoke at the library… barely had enough time to hide myself behind the trashcan before they found out their victim's soul was attached to its body and well," Kid added with a bit of sardonic humour at the end.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Well I do feel fine. Normal. I did bleed a little from where they shot me but I can't feel any wounds now."

"I'm coming down."

"Wait no, you'll make noise-!"

With a loud creak, Maka grabbed the ends of her bed before swinging down and falling on Kid's outer side.

"Ow dammit, why'd have to hit me on the side? Why couldn't it be the middle?!" he hissed.

They both shifted in the bed, causing even more creaks to echo through the small room, before both were lying sideways.

"Where'd they shoot you?"

"Here," he said pointing to the higher part of his neck. "Near Adam's apple."

"Well you barely have one so it's not a good indication."

Kid rolled his eyes. "Says the pot to the kettle."

Maka squinted at him but Kid shrugged before craning up his neck. "See anything?"

The girl leaned in closer to see Kid's neck better in the moonlight. The skin on Kid's neck was uniformly white, nearly transparent, and the moonlight made it look like it glowed. "I can't see any bruises or blood."

Kid had been pale for as long as she remembered him. Because her parents and Kid's guardians were already close friends at the time (how being another unanswered question which plagued her), Maka and Kid basically grew up together. Azusa had found Kid a few months after Maka was born, on the 1st of November. In the beginning Maka had been a bit hesitant dealing with Kid as he was thin and kinda short; it felt like the wind could break him. Even now, years later, he hadn't improved much still being as thin as a stick and barely taller than Maka herself who was average for a girl her age. Coupled with his ashen skin and dark circles under his eyes, Kid looked like a person just an inch away from losing his soul.

Fortunately Kid's sickly appearance was vastly deceiving. He was unusually strong and fast, which came in handy whenever they had to bail or gotten into a fight. Maka herself was half-decent but her real strength was in being a Meister and wielding a Demon Weapon, an impossible feat in a society which demonized both. From what she and Kid had eavesdropped, Kid could be a Meister as well, though he himself didn't show much interest.

"You ok?"

"Eh?" the girl asked as she broke her train of thoughts.

"You've been staring at me for the last minute."

"Yeah you're right," Maka said embarrassed as she climbed back up at her bed. "Getting shot can be real bad especially if she was using a Weapon. I'm glad you're ok."

Kid let out a humorous laugh. "I don't know who was more surprised, me or them." He said before his tone turned sour. "I lost the book though. I dropped it when the pinned me and didn't have time to get it afterwards."

"We still have the notes though," Maka reassured him. "I put them in your backpack; we can have a look at them tomorrow."

"Sounds good. I could also have a look around in case I find the book…"

Maka let out an agreeing sound and stretched out. "I'm tired."

"It's been a long night. We should get to sleep."

"Night," Maka muttered, her voice coming muffled as the girl snuck under the duvet.

"Night," Kid replied, turning to the side to look at the window. The sky was pitch-black as always. Some very faint light came from the street light outside their place, advertising it as a motel, though they rarely got customers. It was for that reason their household was dependent on Azusa's income who worked as a manager in one of the local factories. In contrast, Marie was more domestic, looking after the other two people in the 'family' and occasionally working part-time at a local nightclub as a bouncer.

Kid turned around, covering himself fully in the duvet and occasionally shifting until sleep eventually claimed him.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

_They'd been laying there for an eternity. How much time had passed? Seconds? Days? Years? Millenniums?_

_It was confining. Their black prison offered no reprieve, no view of the outside world, just endless isolation and lots of time to think but they hated thinking, thinking too much was what had gotten them in this forsaken prison in the first place-_

_They heard movement. And it wasn't their own bones clicking in place, snapping after an eternity of remaining immobile. Something, someone was close to their prison._

_Someone alive._

_The sounds intensified and there were short abrupt noises, was that what they had once called a footstep? They couldn't remember it'd been such a long time; the time they weren't in this prison seemed like a fantasy they'd crafted to stop themselves from becoming insane._

_Then they felt it. A brushing of something soft. The prison walls shifted before retaining their ever-smooth, ever-constricting shape._

_They heard a sharp, high pitched sound, metal clashing against metal and then the prison walls shifted again. They was moving within this infernal cell, their body being pressed upwards –if they remembered the directions correctly-_

_The prison hit with something hard and the whole being shook as the flat surface seemed to stretch out behind their limited view, seemingly rolling for a while; part of their prison remained flat as if pressed on something which extended forever…_

_A floor?_

_Hesitantly the being brought a hand out, made out of bones and a rotting black substance. The walls didn't give in._

_Of course they didn't. Why would they in the first place? Their place was there now, within that cell, never seeing-_

_A sharp metal pierced the black wall, along with part of their body. The sharp metal sheet stretched upwards, tearing the prison walls apart. Freedom._

_The figures were blurry. Men, women, young old, it mattered not._

They were free.

_And then their gaze met a set of red eyes framed by a hair of black and white._

_"Hello old man."_

_Debris was everywhere. Bodies filled the ruined streets, now soaked with red blood from the countless creatures that had lost their life in the battle._

_And the red was joined by black._

_Bandages with three eyes surrounded them._

_The end had come._

_A sharp pain, ripping sounds, excruciating pain._

_A baby's cry._

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid's eyes snapped open and the boy shot up in his bed. His frame was sweaty, black hair hanging in clustered bands and obscuring his wide frightened eyes, though this did little to hide his laboured breath.

Soon enough his head shot up, frantic eyes scanning the entire room like he'd been told there was a bomb about to go off. Yellow irises shot from his covers to the desk nearby, to the old armchair arranged in the exact centre of the room, until finally resting on the sky was still dark but Kid could make up a dull shade of blue. The eerie moon was laughing manically above them all, its rotten teeth stained with blood, as with every night ever since Kid remembered himself. This night was no different; the blood spilled over from the moon's teeth to the surface below until eventually dripping into the horizon, a sign that lots of souls had been eaten tonight.

Closing his eyes and rubbing them with his thin hands Kid took a deep calming breath. Above him he could hear Maka's light snore. At least someone was sleeping peacefully, which was more the boy could say for his own jittery state.

Kid removed his hands from his face and gingerly lay down in bed.

'It was just another nightmare', was what the teen wanted to admit. 'One of these days'. It wasn't that weird for people to have nightmares, Kid had occasionally seen his two guardians experience nightmares. Azusa usually just let out a small gasp when she woke up, contrary to Marie's -often comedic- yelling. Surely their nightmares weren't that different from his.

Yet there were times when Kid was younger, barely a child, when he and Azusa and Marie shared a bed, the women placing Kid in the middle as to offer some protection, when Kid saw his guardian's experience true nightmares. Azusa stilled in her sleep only to wake up trembling, even after she came from the restroom with wet hair and puffy eyes. Marie let out shrill screams, haunting to Kid and causing Azusa to grasp her roommate's shoulders and shake her in desperation while yelling the blonde's name, until the woman woke up with a loud sob and started at the two of them before breaking down into tears holding on to Kid and Azusa like a lifeline.

On a level Kid was glad he hadn't experienced that type of nightmare yet, but this dream had come close, perhaps too close.

A banging on the front door got Kid to focus on reality. The boy frowned; who would visit them at this time of night?

Two more knocks followed, partially muffled from the distance between Kid and the front door, a feeling of dread rising in his stomach. The teen couldn't think of a single reason why someone would come here at night, at least a person with good intentions. The boy gripped his sheet before discarding them to his side and silently getting off his bed.

There was another knock on the door. Four in total.

The teenager tip-toed though his room and into the living room where he saw Spirit splayed out in their couch, his snores similar to his daughter's.

Another knock. Five.

If Kid wanted to get to the front door he'd have to get to the hall which meant crossing the kitchen and through his guardians' bedroom. The two women always slept in the same bed; Azusa claimed it was more efficient and used up fewer resources while Marie said it brought back good memories of sleepovers.

"Kid?"

Speaking of the figurative devil, Marie Mjolnir dressed in a flowing nightgown, was standing closer to the front door holding a small candle base. Next to her stood a haggard-looking Azusa, the woman clad in a loose blouse and sweatpants looking like she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.

"Did the sound wake you up?"

Kid opened his mouth to disagree but hesitated and the word 'nightmare' never left his lips. Eventually he settled for "…Yeah. Do you know who's at the door?"

The older woman gave the exit a wary glance. "No. Me and Azusa can't think of anyone…"

"Azusa and I-" muttered the brunette, currently trying –and failing- to rub the sleep of her eyes.

There were two more knocks. Seven. Kid swiped some sweat from his brow. So close…

"I should go 'greet' them. Kid, Azusa," Marie turned to the two, "can you get Spirit and Maka hidden before I open the door?"

"I'll go get that red-haired dullard," grumbled Azusa. "If it's one of the caretakers tell them to get the hell out of our property or I will press charges again."

"Lots of good that did us," muttered a disappointed Marie as she watched her friend drag her feet to the sofa, before glancing at the teenager. "Kid?"

"Oh right, I'll go get Maka," Kid said absent-mindedly, thoughts partly focused on the door. If that stranger could knock only one more time…

Kid went past a grumbly Azusa and a rudely-awakened Spirit, heading into his own room.

"Maka," the boy whispered, coming close to the bed and climbing a few of the stairs until he could lowly shake herself. "Wake up." No response. "Wake up or I'll pour ice cold water on you."

The girl's snores were interrupted by a snort and then a tired moan. "What is it?"

"Someone's knocking on our front door."

"Ok," the girl grumbled, clutching her pillow and trying to smother herself with it.

"At four in the morning."

As if she had been doused with fire, Maka shot up from her bed and gave Kid a disbelieving stare. "What-?!"

"Shh-!" Kid hissed. "Azusa already woke up your father. Just in case it's the caretakers or someone like that you're supposed to hide into the passage."

"Ok, coming."

Maka flung off her bed with the grace no newly-awakened person should have as she and Kid made their way to the living room where a more awake but still glazed Azusa held open the trapdoor and gestured Maka to it. The young girl obeyed the elder's instruction and descended into the darkness as the cover was put in place and covered with a decorative rug.

Kid meanwhile made it to the kitchen, leaning against the wall so he wasn't in the line of sight of anyone from the hallway. Marie noticed him and Kid gave her a curt nod to which she reciprocated with a small smile before heading towards the door.

There was one final knock –Eight- as Kid heard his guardian open the door.

The last thing he expected Marie was to cry out in shock.

Kid blew his cover from the corner, concerned for Marie's reaction only to remain frozen in shock as well.

"What's wrong?!" Azusa yelled from the living room the woman rushing past any furniture until she came to stand next to Kid.

A dark skinned muscular woman stood at the entrance. Her auburn hair was braided and pulled back, with a few loose braids framing her elegant face, as she clutched onto the doorway. Kid wouldn't have given her a second glance if it wasn't for the bleeding and burn wounds covering half her body.

"Naigus?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dramatic jazz hands* Dun-dun-dun! The plot thickens!
> 
> Props to Sam Roehl at fanfiction.net for pointing out the small continuity error in the prologue! Got it fixed but I don't have a beta-reader so error may occasionally show up again, so feel free to point out any grammar/continuity/other mistakes you find!
> 
> If you're interested in some Mad!Kid goodiness, check out my other Soul Eater fanfic, Confrontation. It's a one-shot, so it's not a huge investment ;)
> 
> Next update will be in two weeks. Don't forget to comment!


	3. Bandages and Books, Nurses and Witches

"Hello."

"Hello."

An hour had passed ever since the stranger turned up on their door. Much to Maka's and Kid's confusion the adults knew her. Mira Naigus, the woman's full name, was now huddled up in a makeshift bed at the lowest level of the house, a windowless room filled with trinkets and little extra furniture, with only a naked bulb casting a warm light against the wood-lined walls. Despite the room being a glorified basement, there wasn't a musky smell in the air, or a lot of dust for that matter; strangely enough it was the upper levels of the house that were the most neglected.

The bandaged woman gave Kid a long look. "You're Marie and Azusa's boy."

The teen, holding a plastic case and a glass of water, gave her an apprehensive look. "They're the one who looked after me ever since I was young, yes."

"What's your name?"

"Kid."

The woman snorted. "Sure."

"I'm not joking."

Mira gave him a flat look. "Let me guess, Azusa?"

"From what I've been told, she and Marie couldn't come up with a name so they went with kid which inadvertently stuck."

The woman gave him a teasing smile, or at least that's what Kid assumed was her expression, as the majority of her face was covered with bandages.

"Anyways, I brought some painkillers, along with some salve and clean bandages," Kid said as he handed Mira the glass while opening the plastic box to reveal a variety of medical supplies.

"Thank you," Mira said as the boy carefully placed the water next to her.

"Do you want help?"

"I've worked as a nurse. I can handle this."

Kid handed her the first-aid kit, his movements stiffer than normal because of his apprehension. Mira seemed to notice his behaviour, but her attention then focused behind the teen.

"Also, you can tell Azusa I don't bite. At this state I can't hurt any of you, even you Kid."

"I believe it's best if I take that as a compliment Miss Naigus. Goodnight."

As Kid went up the staircase to the main floor of the house, he passed his two guardians who were going down. Marie gave the boy a warm smile while Azusa acknowledged him with a nod. Kid reciprocated the gestures, seemingly going up the stairs at his bedroom.

The moment the two women turned around the corner to go to the bandaged woman's makeshift bed, Kid stopped his ascend, back pressed against the wooden wall.

"So..." Marie's voice came from the corner. "Why are you here?"

"I… I had no other place to go."

"Funny how that works-" That was Azusa.

"Azusa… Don't worry Mira you'll be safe here, at least for a while."

"The sooner you leave the better."

"… I can't… I can't go back."

Curious about Mira's mysterious statement, Kid peered from beyond the corner.

Marie gave Azusa a worried look before focusing back on Mira. "What happened last night?"

"There was a raid planned."

"The one the note…?"

"Yes."

Kid froze in the background and gulped.

"The kids… good grief, Maka and Kid, they could have been…" Marie's voice trailed off.

"Sid is dead."

Marie gasped and Azusa’s shoulders stiffened. "Oh no…"

"How?"

"One of the Gorgons was there. She attacked us and I told Sid we had to retreat but he… He was a proud man. He didn't want to back down from a fight."

"So he…?"

"The witch got him on the shoulder and he dropped me."

"You didn't transform back into human form," Kid heard Azusa, her tone was softer than before.

"I was afraid. Had I done so I would be dead as well, or at least as dead as can anyone be these days… But the result is the same." Mira let out a hollow laugh. "My Meister is dead so I might as well dig my own grave now-"

"Mira you can't say that!"

The foreign woman scoffed. "Then what-?"

"Until you get better, you stay here," Azusa spoke up. "After that however, feel free to never contact us again. Spirit may be willing to help but I would be highly doubtful. No matter how he acted then or now, Kami was the one he loved most besides his own daughter."

"She can stay with us for longer!"

Kid saw Azusa gave her roommate a cold frown. "She can't. We're on a watchlist."

The blonde let out a small huff. "Worst case scenario, we easily take the caretakers out."

"And get the council on our case."

"Then we leave this place! We still have connections we can use them to cross the pacific-"

"From where? Mexico?"

Marie stumbled in her words. "We… we can always try. We're Deathscythes, we have every right to!"

"Not after what happened fifteen years ago we can't. You know the rumours. They blame us for the operation's failure."

"Not everyone! We could go underground, Tezca will help-"

"What if we get discovered? What about Kid, Marie?"

The blonde stayed silent.

"Our best option so far is to stay in the capital and lay low. Too many people on the watchlist and too few caretakers."

An awkward silence ensued between the three females. Kid was thinking about going back up, but Mira's following words caught his attention.

"…I wish the mission was a success."

Marie tilted her head. "Didn't your raid fail?"

"On our front. We were a distraction."

"But you were at the frontlines! You basically fought with the Council!"

"You weren't the only team." Azusa stated, her voice assuming this semi-frantic though whenever she'd caught on a lead. "Your group was to distract the most powerful members, that means you had a second, maybe third team sneaking into the library-"

"Yes. Finding the book was of utmost importance."

"There we go with that book again." Marie crossed her arms. "What's so important about it anyways? The academy has enough books as it is."

Naigus looked at the Scandinavian woman in disbelief. "You don't know?"

"We weren't told," Azusa answered in a matter-of-factly tone. "Apparently, we are not trusted enough."

"That's stupid. Trusted or not, you three were our strongest…" the woman clutched her sheets. "It's called the Book of Eibon."

"Eibon?"

"I remember reading about him back at the Academy," Azusa noted. "He was a powerful sorcerer, seemingly ageless."

The woman blinked in surprise. "A witch?"

"From what I've read no, even though he could perform magic."

"What's so special about his book?"

Azusa placed her hand on her chin in thought. "I don't know much... The book was written in an unknown language and both sides don't know how to decipher it-"

Kid frowned from his hiding place. It made no sense. From what little he'd peeked into the Book before the sisters got him, the text was perfectly understandable. Perhaps a bit too eloquent and archaic for Kid's taste, but not indecipherable.

"-but recently we uncovered a few notes from Eibon himself. Using those, the Head Priest was able to translate bits and pieces of the manuscripts."

"Wait you have a manuscript?" Marie looked positively lost. "Then why do you need the book in the first place?"

"I don't know. I think the manuscript is incomplete."

"That means you're looking for a specific passage of the book right?"

Naigus looked away. "I don't know how much of this I should be saying…"

"Come on Mira," Marie pleaded. "We're on your side, you know that."

"Can't help you if you can't help us," Azusa offered.

If anything, Naigus looked even more conflicted. She kept her gaze away from Marie's pleading look and Azusa's curious frown, instead playing with the protruding end of her bandages.

Seconds passed.

"We think the book contains information…"

"Of what kind?"

"Of the being that can kill the Kishin once and for all."

Marie looked away ruefully. "There's no such thing now."

"But the High Priest believes the book has it. How to end the Kishin once and for all."

Azusa's eyes widened in realisation"…No… You can't mean…"

Kid held his breath.

" _How to revive the Grim Reaper_."

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Hey Kid," muttered Maka from beneath her covers. "Where have you been?"

"Helping Azusa and Marie."

Maka let out a tired sigh. "Everything ok?"

Kid hesitated. "Yes," he forced himself to say. "Miss Naigus will be staying here until she gets better." The boy lay on the pulled and pulled the covers over his small frame. "I hope we don't get another visitor. I'll barely get enough sleep as it is."

"Yeah don't you have school and what not…?"

"If you want to call that education then sure," Kid grumbled. "Goodnight. Hopefully we won't have any life endangering activities tomorrow."

"When you get up, wake me up as well. "

"So you can prepare to meet again with the oh-so-mysterious Soul~?"

Maka muttered a muffled response resembling a "shut up Kid."

The boy however didn't reply, his mind wondering back to the conversation he'd eavesdropped. Mira knew Marie, Azusa and Spirit for many years… before Maka was born and before the women adopted Kid. All of them were part of a group, a school of sorts… one specialising in Meisters and Weapons? Most likely. He had no idea what ‘Deathscythe’ stood for though; maybe a term to refer to powerful Weapons?

Then there was the operation at the library. The book Kid and Maka got from the humans… they must have been part of Naigus' group.

And then there was the proverbial elephant in the room. The mysterious organisation's goal. Reviving the Grim Reaper.

Kid had always felt this world was wrong. People's souls weren't supposed to be eaten. And though there were people that agreed with the boy, they always argued about good and evil. No, the reason why Kid felt so strongly about the souls was something more instinctual something he hadn't managed to pin down yet. To him it wasn't about ethics. It was about order. The souls weren't supposed to be eaten in the first place. Instead…

The 'new world order' came fifteen years ago. Azusa mentioned the previous 'order' once but then got quiet.

When Kid first heard it, it seemed so right. People came into this world. Hopefully they grow up. They learn more things about the world, maybe have children, love, have friends etc. But that wouldn't last forever. At some point their body would get damaged. It could be anything; an accident, disease, or even time. The damage would be beyond repair. The body wouldn't be able to function to sustain life.

So they die. The body breaks down, but the soul is protected and… moves on.

Death. The end of life. The concept felt so right...

These people were trying to revive Death, no matter how ironic it sounded. And this information was contained on the Book and the notes he and Maka had basically stolen.

Should he tell them? Kid didn't trust the Nigus woman, much but he trusted Azusa and Marie more than anyone else. These two raised him, through the good, the bad and the ridiculous.

His eyelids felt heavy.

Maybe he should think more about it later and get some sleep now. After all he had school tomorrow…

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Morning came to the city, the sun towering over the Earth. Its raspy laugh resounded through the collapsing rooftops, bloodied walls, echoing through cheap plaster until it reached a cracked window in a dull brown slum, causing a particular dark haired boy to shift in his covers.

"Already?"

The boy let out a small yawn, threw the covers away and sat hunched on the bed. He let out a low mumble as he rubbed his back and stretched, bones pooping into place.

"Oi Maka," he mumbled rubbing the sleep off his eyes. "You awake?"

He was greeted with a low rumbling sound.

"Probably not. What time…" Groggily he walked towards the window, leaning down so he could get a clear view of the sky, to see the tip of one of the sun's spikes popping out of the opposite low building.

Letting out another small yawn the boy took the backpack next to his bed. It took a bit more effort to lift it up that usual but Kid chalked it to his lack of energy. The boy passed through a snoring Spirit on the sofa and headed to the kitchen where he saw a familiar blonde-haired woman.

"Morning," Kid greeted.

"Good morning Kid!" the woman said happily. "And how are you today?"

"M'fine," Kid muttered, rubbing the sleep off his eyes.

"Good," Marie said and turned her attention to the stove and frowned. "Our stove's having a bad day though, so breakfast will take longer, I'm sure you being a bit late-"

Kid gave her a wide eyed look and the woman let out a small sigh.

"Come on Kid, it'll be five minutes!" the woman said with worry. A metaphorical light bulb went off in her head and she placed a hand on the boy's shoulders, looking in the distance like a proud warrior. "You must have breakfast if you want to grow up big and strong-!"

"I'm not five," Kid sighed as he tried to move away from Marie's steely grip but to no avail. "Besides I have been having breakfast and I still look like a matchstick."

The woman gave him a comforting rub on the back and another cheerful smile. "Well a lot of boys your age are still developing-"

"A sick matchstick."

"Come on now Kid, you're too hard on yourself," Marie said as she patted the boy on the head. The moment she let go Kid's hands immediately went to his hair to fix any stray strands on their place.

"I'll just have some milk," the teen conceded and headed for the small fridge nestled under a counter.

The woman's frame slumped in defeat before going towards the cupboard to get a mug. "You're determined to be on time, aren't you?"

Kid placed his hands on his hips and gave his guardian a scandalised look. "First of all that'd cause to arrive at a time later than eight which is unacceptable! Plus they might ask questions and considering the fact we're sheltering fugitive, I might as well try to be as inconspicuous as possible." True to his word, Kid did whatever he could to look as uninteresting and seemingly obedient as possible. The teen arrived on the clock at 8 outside the school gates -though a major part of it was due to his symmetry obsession-, studied for the subjects, and dressed in formal hand-me-downs to uphold the dress code, which very few did.

"Me and Azusa are tough nuts," Marie chuckled, looking out the window. "I mean, whew, we've done some crazy things, you wouldn't believe…" her voice died midway through the sentence, but she soon turned to Kid with renewed vigour. "What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to worry about us. We worry about you, 'k?"

"Especially after the stunt you pulled with Maka yesterday," came a familiar voice through the entrance to the kitchen causing Marie to jump in her seat and swiftly turned around, hands clenched, only to see a familiar face.

"Good grief Azusa how do you keep sneaking up on people?!" the woman exclaimed as she let out a breath she didn't realize was holding.

"You're still grounded for that young man," Azusa gave Kid a stern look before rummaging one of the cupboards for some coffee.

"Good morning to you as well," Kid greeted his second guardian with the same lack of enthusiasm. Azusa had already been dressed in one of her proper formal suits, though her dishevelled hair showed she had just gotten out of bed. Nevertheless the woman projected her aura of authority, which Kid had gotten used to and Marie was cheerfully oblivious to.

The woman pulled a packet out of the cupboard and gave the teen one of her usual stares. "Eat your breakfast Kid."

Kid drunk a bit from his glass. "I'm having milk."

"That's barely breakfast."

"I'm not hungry."

"You never are hungry!" Marie exclaimed. "I swear it was worse when you were little- We practically had to force-feed you-"

"I know, you've told me that a hundred and eighty seven times," Kid said before taking a few big gulps and emptying the glass.

"At least get something to eat before lunch."

"An apple," Azusa took the red fruit from the bowl and put it in Kid's front pocket on his backpack.

"I'll be fine," the teen muttered before pulling on his backpack and headed towards the door. "Goodbye."

"Have a great day at school Kid!"

"Be careful."

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Now class, the 31 of October is a few months away! I know you are all excited for the life festival! The Kishin council has allowed us to partake in the festivities! I urge, especially you who were born in a life free of Death, to show your enthusiasm for this momentous 15th annual celebration! Don't forget to study though!"

History class was the worst. Or at least Kid's worst. A C- test neatly folded away under his lap only added insult to injury.

Kid opened his locker -the combination was 8888- and took off his backpack. So far he needn't open his bag yet; he had left the history book at school and the last time he took notes in that class the teen almost had a meltdown because he couldn't get the t's precise and perfect enough. Or any other letter for that matter.

Kid wasn't fond of his handwriting.

"Hey you!"

Whatever positive mood he had vanished like a wisp of smoke.

"If it isn't Kim Diehl," Kid uttered as he turned around to face the pink-haired witch. With some surprise he noted the presence of another girl following close behind the witch.

"You know each other?"

"The Grand Witch occasionally feels the need to force her machinations on me. Are you her new lackey?" He said at the dark-haired girl, which earned him a minor scowl.

Kim's eyes widened. "What'd you call me you little brat?!"

"Can I help you?" Kid asked with frustration while digging through his backpack's front pockets for his modest snack.

"Did 'ya hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Someone attacked the library yesterday."

Kid raised an eyebrow. "Did they now? And who's they?"

"No idea. The lower level witches and Kishin have bent over backwards trying to find a culprit but they only thing they got was a body of some random dude…"

Kid let out a passive hum as he brought out the apple Azusa had given him.

"People say something else was stolen as well."

"Fascinating," the boy replied in a flat tone, now preoccupied with munching his fruit.

"A book…" Kim said eerily, before switching back to her usual tone, "got no idea why everyone's so worried about some paper though. Whoever caused that mess didn't seem like the reading type."

Kid didn't bother with a response, instead taking another bite out of the apple. Silence fell between the teens, one that the boydidn't react to but Kim seemed progressively more annoyed.

"You wouldn't happen to be involved now would ya?"

Kid choked on his bite, hitting his sternum to get the food out of his airway, and then making it enter the right path this time.

"What the hell makes you say that?"

"Gee Kid, your folk don't have the best of reputations-"

"And as you are aware my family and I are under probation because of that, so doing something this reckless would be idiotic at best and suicidal at worst."

Kim let out a small laugh. "Like getting past the caretakers is a difficult thing."

Kid responded with a glare.

Jacqueline looked away and Kim gave him a pout. "Jeez loosen up, it was a joke."

"I can feel my mood lifted already."

"Don't care. Now gimme your lunch, I forgot to get some."

Kid pointed at the half-eaten apple. "That _is_ my lunch and I don't believe you're a fan of half-eaten fruit."

Kim let out an annoyed huff, instead heading towards the school's cafeteria. Jacqueline took a step to follow Kim but then abruptly stopped, focusing her gaze on Kid.

"What?"

"Would you do it?"

"Excuse me?"

"If you had the chance. If there were no caretakers, no Kishin council looming over you and your family; would you fight against them?"

"That'd be something to look forward to."

"So you won't answer the question?"

"I don't have much of a choice."

The girl gave him a disappointed look and walked away. Kid followed her, until she met up with Kim who was now ganging up on some other poor soul.

The boy leaned back on the hallway, adjusting his backpack so it was hanging from one shoulder. Strangely enough it did feel heavier than usual.

Maybe the weight was an illusion. Kid rotated his shoulders.

Nope. The bag was definitely heavier than normal.

Eventually curiosity got the best of him. Kid crouched placed the apple core carefully on the floor with the intention of disposing it after uncovering the mystery of the extra weight. He ran the zip along the bag's surface, splitting it open and allowing a view of its contents.

Kid's blood ran cold.

Instead of the usual textbooks and barely used notepads, Kid's bag contained an array of hastily stuffed papers. Upon their aged surface were finely handwritten curved symbols translating to a style Kid first read last night…

The bag was hastily zipped back. The teen felt a bead of cold sweat ran down his temple.

_How on Earth could he have forgotten the Book's notes were on his backpack?!_

"Oi, you!"

Kid turned around immediately to come face to face with another man. He was tall and muscled, brown cropped hair on top of an angular face. "Kid, right?" The most prominent feature was the man's white garbs. A caretaker's uniform.

"Cat got your tongue boy?" The man sneered. "You're Kid right?"

"Yes."

"Lady Medusa wants to see you. Now."

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"This is the way to the nurse's office," Kid noted with apprehension. His grip was tight on his backpack, carefully staying a few paces away from the white-clothed man.

"No shit."

"Why are we going there? I'm not sick."

"Good. Healthy souls taste better," he grunted. "Also shut up."

The man straightened as they reached a plain white door, the words Infirmary engraved on it. He knocked once then twice, before opening the door and heading in, shoving Kid in front of him.

"Lady Medusa, I brought the boy."

First thing Kid noticed was the dim nature of the room. The curtains were drawn, preventing any sunlight coming in the small enclosed room. In the corner Kid could make out a medications cupboard, and a lone bed in the corner. It seemed like the room was almost empty.

"Good. Now go and stand guard. A colleague of yours should be arriving any moment now." A woman's voice came from the shadows, her calm tone sending a small shiver down Kid's spine.

"Yes ma'am."

And as the man turned his back and stood outside the entrance, a woman walked out of the shadows.

Medusa Gorgon. The second oldest of the infamous Gorgon Sisters, witches with great power and even greater influence upon the Kishin-owned territories. Second only to the Original Kishin, these three witches were individually infamous for their powerful magic and immoral intellect. Arachne, the oldest, was the head of the Kishin council and often acted in behalf of the Kishin god itself. The youngest of the witch sisters, Shaula, while not as famous as her sisters was renowned for her immense strength in battle. And Medusa… little was known about her, save for horror stories about her bizarre and twisted experiments she inflicted on anyone, even her own child.

The witch, a blonde woman clad in a black hooded body-length suit, turned on Kid, who at this point was frozen in place.

"Ah hello, how nice of you to join me so soon. I didn't expect such punctuality."

"Doing otherwise would be idiotic." The boy's words left him before he could fully process them. His steadily increasing panic caused his tongue to go on autopilot mode.

"I'm glad we're on the same page. Your name is Kid?"

"Yes." The response was automatic.

"No surname?"

"None I'm aware off."

The witch gave him an amused smile. "Your guardians are Marie Mjolnir and Azusa Yumi…" she trailed off, "they're under watch aren't they?"

"Yes, but I don't know anything about it-"

"Birthday is listed as the 1st of November…"

"The date is when my guardians found me, not when I was born."

"Hm… they found you when you were little didn't they?"

"I don't remember. I was too young."

"Is that so…?" The witch removed a paper from a pocket. "I see you have good grades in general. Not in history though… there are comments of you 'mixing' things up..."

"Not my fault if the teachers can't teach in a precise and organized manner-"

"Ah, yes that's your little… obsession, isn't it?"

Kid flinched as he saw one of the snakes in her hands missing. Was it always asymmetrical?

"That's a large soul for someone your age but I guess you can't judge a book by its cover. After all children can be full of surprises."

Kid gulped. "Is this all?" At this point he might as well push his luck and hope for the best.

"One last thing," the woman pleasantly said. "There aren't many humans that can survive a bullet to the head, especially if it comes from a demon weapon."

The teen froze in place.

"In fact I don't think your 'guardians' can survive it either," Medusa commented in a light-hearted tone. "I wouldn't move if I were you. Why don't you get yourself comfortable Kid? We have _a lot_ to talk about."

Kid heard two familiar voices from the hallway.

_"Let us go you asshole!"_

_"Oi, hurt sissy and I'll kick your ass!"_

The door burst open and a large buff man dressed in white carb entered the room, with two familiar females in his grasp.

"I got the sisters, Lady Medusa." Upon entering the two sisters froze in shock, Patty's mouth open in amazement as Liz gave the witch a horrified stare.

Yet Kid could only stare at the man, his trimmed short hair and beard as Kid saw the man that he'd tackled yesterday in the library. Yet the man himself gave Kid a passive look, seemingly never having seen the boy before. Was he acting-?

"From your expression it seems we got the ones who shot you." The witch's words broke Kid's focus causing him to turn back to see Medusa's satisfied smirk.

And then he noticed the girls. They looked the same as he had seen them in the dark alley, draped in loose clothes, the elder one carrying a tightly closed cloth bag, which belonged to Maka… The book.

Kid panicked. The boy stood up throwing his chair to the floor, ignoring and dodging the caretakers' attempts to grab him. The door was a few meters away, he only had to grab the bag and...

" _Nake snake, cobra, cobra."_

Kid hit the floor hard as a black and purple hued vectors wrapped around his feet. The teen was grabbed by the back of his collar and forced up by one of the caretakers, seeing Medusa's amused smile and Liz's wide-eyed expression.

"That was a pathetic attempt Kid. Is this what your 'guardians' have been teaching you?"

"What do you want?" Kid hissed dropping all formalities.

"Straight to the point. I can appreciate that." She turned towards the sisters.

"L-Lady Medusa," Liz croaked the girl trying her best to swallow her own discomfort. "…How can I help you?"

"I'd like you to do me a favour."

"Yes, yes of course," Liz hastily replied though her conviction didn't reach her eyes.

"Shoot him."

"W-What?"

"Shoot him," Medusa repeated in a light-hearted tone. "I know what transpired between you and the kid last night. My snakes are all over the city." The woman gave the sisters a small smile. "Though case-studies are fascinating, it is best to draw conclusions from data gathered in a controlled environment."

Liz eyes darted between the teen and the witch. "Is… Is that all Lady Medusa?"

"Why yes. If you do so you will have been a great help for me. As such I will see that you are compensated," Medusa's face became terrifyingly serene, "as long as this information doesn't leave this room."

"We'll keep our mouths shut!" Patty spoke up, her cheerful tone seeming a bit forced.

"Good. Now then…" the witch turned towards the bound boy who was glaring at the witch. "Shall we get down to business?"

Liz focused on the boy but stood still, as if not believing her eyes.

"I'll do it sis!" Patty broke the silence. "You did it last time, so it's fair ol' Patty lends ya a hand!"

"Ok," the elder agreed, before she was enveloped in a pink light and re-materialising as a gun at the younger sister's hand.

Kid shot them a befuddled stare. Both sisters were weapons. Symmetrical weapons.

If we wasn't panicking so hard, Kid would've have squealed as the sight.

The gun was brought to the boy's forehead. It felt like last time. The metal was cold to the touch, and the younger sister was too forceful as she pressed the gun's barrel right onto his forehead. The barrel obscured a significant part of the teen's vision, though he briefly got a look of the younger sister's face. Though she was grinning like a maniac, her eyes were empty. Cold.

"What are you waiting for?" Kid found himself saying, voice enlaced with sarcasm. "Go right ahead."

Patty pressed the trigger.

White hot pain surged through Kid's head. The boy fell backwards from the force of the bullet, boy hitting the floor hard as Kid clutched his forehead in pain.

And was gone instantly. To Kid's surprise the blast was much weaker that the one on the previous night.

"Hm, interesting," the witch muttered to herself. "We may have to repeat that with the other sister as well-"

It was at this moment the whole building shook violently.


	4. Two Reluctant Allies and Pink Hair

"What was that?!" hissed Medusa, losing her footing for a brief second as the whole building shook. Dust and flays of plaster fell from the ceiling as the sound cracks and crashes reverberated through the entire concrete structure.

"Lady Medusa!" Another man garbed in white barged in, the noticeable difference in him being the pools of blood staining his uniform red. "There was an attack… targeting us."

The witch had now lost interest in the teens and was glaring at the injured man. "Who's attacking, what do they wish to accomplish?!" the woman hissed in frustration.

When the man didn't reply, the witch flicked a finger and a vector arrow wrapped itself around the man's frame, lifting him in the air a few centimeters away from Medusa's face.

"Explain, now."

"The attack... rogue witches and a weapon-meister pair… lots of fire…"

The man's body hit the floor as a blue orb stained with red detached from the corpse.

Medusa scoffed. "Useless…"

Another tremor went through the building, this time multiple cracks appearing through the walls, and faint rumbles indicated parts of the building had already collapsed.

"They're going to bring the entire thing down…" the witch muttered in frustration. "Caretakers!" At the sound of her voice the two remaining men stood at attention.

"Make sure these three don't leave this place! If you fail…" she coughed and then composed herself. "That would be a bad experience for all of us," her face morphed into a snake-like scowl. "Especially you."

"Y-Yes lady Medusa!" yelled the shorter caretaker while the stocky one gave her a firm nod.

Shooting a dangerous glare to where the raid was happening, Medusa hurriedly left the room, leaving behind two caretakers, two very confused sisters and a teen clutching his forehead in pain. The shorter caretaker shot his colleague a look in case he had any idea what to do. However the stocky man had turned his back on him and was now standing guard on the door, which the other caretaker soon copied.

"So," Kid groaned as he slowly made himself stand, "I don't suppose any of you would like to talk things out-"

" _The fuck is wrong with you?!_ " A very shocked Liz hissed at Kid while shielding Patty from him, who had transformed into human form shortly after Medusa left.

"Case in point."

"How the fuck are you still alive?! This is the second time me and Patty shot you-!"

"Patty and I."

"Don't be smart with me _you little freak-!"_

"I can't decide if it's your insults or your bullets that hurt me most," Kid muttered, a small ironic smile on his face.

"Are you even gonna take this seriously?!"

"Oi calm down the both of you," shouted the shorter caretaker as he scowled at the three teens, spear threateningly raised at their direction. "You, the kid, shut the hell up, and as for you bitches, keep your mouth shut, no one enjoys the sound of your yapping-"

It was Liz's quick reflexes that stopped Patty from barreling onto the caretaker. "The fuck did you say to me and sissy you bastard, we're the goddamn Thompson sisters-!"

"Scum wannabe-Kishin is what you are and if you don't stand down, I'm going to ram this thing down your throat and make you and your 'sissy' squeal like the pigs you are!"

Liz had to restrain Patty from lunging at the man and get both of them ripped to shreds. " _The fuck you say about Lizzie you rotten bastards_ _I'mma tear your heart out-_!"

"Girls if you could just calm down-" Kid whispered to Liz.

"Shut the hell up, I'm using all my willpower not to shoot the fucker to oblivion-" the sister hissed back, still restraining Patty whose expression could sour milk.

"Why are you holding back?"

"Because then the other one would rip me and Patty to shreds, why the fuck do you think Sherlock?!"

Kid's voice was barely a whisper. "Why not shoot them both simultaneously?"

"Guns fire only one bullet at a time, smartass. The only way we could shot these assholes at the same time was if me and Patty were both in weapon form with you-" Liz caught on to Kid's line of thinking and Patty stopped her thrashing. "No."

"Look you want to get out of here, I want to get out of here," Kid pointed to the sisters and then to himself. "I want these guys gone, you want them even more gone. Right now our goals are the same-"

"Aren't you forgetting the part where we fucking shot you?!" the elder Thompson hissed at the boy.

"No, I still have a headache from that," Kid said, rubbing his temple. "However I believe we can put our differences and any hostilities aside from a moment and work together." The boy looked expectantly at the two sisters.

If Liz agreed with Kid's argument she didn't show it; her face was still twisted in a menacing grimace, though Kid noticed she was frowning more than before. The sister looked away, her nose becoming more crinkled by the second, until the pressure inside her built to an uncomfortable degree and she turned to Kid.

"For fucking argument's sake, let's say we transform to guns," she hissed, "how the fuck do I know you're gonna be able to hold me and Patty at the first place?!"

"Patty and I," Kid quickly added, ignoring Liz's seething glare. "As for that, I'll only have to fire once so, even if things go catastrophically wrong, I'll hold you only for a brief moment-"

"And why the fuck should we trust you?"

"Because you trust Medusa even less," Kid shot back. Taking the older sister's silence as a positive sign, Kid continued his argument. "Also, the knowledge that you apparently hate the Kishin, which I wholeheartedly agree, makes for good common ground."

"How the fuck-"

"I never was above eavesdropping."

Liz fell quiet and gritted her teeth. Meanwhile, Patty had calmed down in her sister's grip but continued growling at the caretakers, both of which have had their backs turned to them and were instead looking through the hallway where mayhem ensued.

Kid decided to push his luck. "I mean look at them, they clearly underestimate us to the point of turning their backs on us. We can't get a better chance."

"Is that the only reason you want to work together?"Liz growled.

"…Well, that and…" Kid nervously replied.

"Talk."

"Well…" the boy played with his hands, avoiding eye contact. "You're symmetrical."

"…What?"

"Your weapon forms, I noticed when you transformed, your gun form is exactly the same as your sister's which is fascinating in the first place because your human forms are quite different-"

"Now you're starting to creep me out."

"No, let me talk to you about symmetry-"

"How about no?"

Kid looked positively offended. "I'll have you know being balanced is one of the most important components of-!"

And as Kid continued his whispered rant, Liz gave a sideways glance to Patty who was eyeing the two in confusion.

"Hey sis, did the weird boy just say he wants to be his partners?"

"Temporarily." Liz turned to Patty, "and only if you agree."

"Hm," the younger sister hummed, eyeing the ranting boy with interest. "He doesn't seem that bad."

Liz focused on Kid to notice he was still rambling about symmetry and order and whatnot.

Then the kid made an exaggerated gesture which would have been comedic where their lives not in danger. Liz heard Patty let out a small giggle from her side and turned to look at her sister in shock. It wasn't a malicious or threating laugh, the only sounds of happiness Patty had made so far, but an honest-to-god-or-whatever joyful chuckle.

"He's funny," Patty observed. "And weird," she quickly added. "I like him."

"We can't trust him Patty. If we do partner up it's gonna be for a very short while, ok?"

"Oh," the younger girl let out a disappointed sigh. "Ok sis."

Now that Liz knew where Patty stood on the matter, the Thompson focused on the other teen, whose symmetry rant was still going strong.

"Order and balance must coexist to ensure a system is organized-"

"If he gets us killed I'm gonna murder him," Liz muttered to herself. "Oi, brat!"

Her hissed insult interrupted Kid's incessant ranting, causing him to revert his attention back to the sisters. "That was rude. Now as I was saying-"

"We accept."

This seemed to shock Kid into silence before he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, I thought you'd be too stubborn to accept and then we'd all probably die here."

"Wow, few seconds in and you already managed to insult me," Liz grumbled, gaze focused on the caretakers, "you're special, brat."

"I take it you're ready then?"

"Give us the mark and me and Patty-"

"Patty and I-"

"-Shut the hell up, me and Patty will transform. You get one shot, miss it and we're doomed and I'll kill you first."

"Speaking of encouraging," Kid muttered, as he looked at the caretakers who were still preoccupied with the chaos outside. "On the count of eight."

"Hehe, random," Patty giggled.

"One," Kid whispered and the two sisters went to Kid's side, a fact which pleased the boy due to the symmetrical nature of their position.

"Two."

The three took a few hesitant steps away from the caretakers, Kid's palms turning towards the sisters who were a few centimeters behind him.

"Three."

Liz and Patty lowered their frames simultaneously, a faint pink light manifesting in their torsos.

"Four."

The shorter caretaker suddenly turned around. His eyes widened and the spear he held was now jammed forward in Kid's direction.

" _Fivesixseven_ _ **eight**_ _!_ " yelled Liz as she and Patty were enveloped in a pink light. Two guns materialized from the pink orbs. Kid caught both of them high up, simultaneously twisting his body to the side to avoid the spear, jumping to the side and briefly glancing at his two Weapon partners. Liz swore she heard him squeal when he looked at their identical forms.

And it was at this time the spear-wielding man caught Kid by the throat, lifting the teenager up in the air.

"Oi, we're upside down!" Liz yelled with worry as he felt her Meister's grip relax faintly.

" _I can work with that-"_ Kid choked out, his grip strengthening, as he put his pinkies on the triggers while the man's hand was currently crushing his throat.

"HAHAHA _SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT_!" came Patty's demented giggle from the left gun, as she and her sisters were quickly pointed at the caretaker's direction.

Kid pressed the triggers.

Liz's bullet hit the shorter caretaker straight on the head who went down like a ragdoll, whereas Patty hit the stocky man on the leg causing him to collapse and clutch his limb in pain. Kid dropped to the ground and quickly stood up, rubbing his neck.

"Woo- _Headshot_!" came Patty's voice from the left gun, the younger teen chuckling at the unfortunate fate of the two men.

Kid however retreated back into the room, heading towards Medusa's desk where his backpack and the cloth bag with the strange book the sisters nicked from the teen yesterday.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to get this," Kid quickly replied, stuffing the bag into his already full backpack and then slipping the sack onto his back.

"They still have their souls," Liz muttered from her position, eyeing the two fallen bodies of the caretakers.

"Doesn't matter, have to run!" yelled Kid as he bolted through the exit taking a sharp right, shoes skidding on the floor.

Now that their short battle was over, the elder Thompson could focus on the thing that worried her most about this hare-brained plan; namely how compatible their and the brat's wavelengths would be. Her initial worry was that they'd be incompatible, which seemed the most likely if their clashing of personalities were any indication, yet the connection was fairly stable. Not that Liz had had many 'Meisters' before this; in most cases she and Patty wielded each other and were naturally compatible. But, due to their violent lifestyle the sisters had to occasionally partner up with other members for the underworld, either for a heist or running away. In such cases, the moment Liz's and Patty's weapon forms came in contact with their Meister's hands, their skin would burn, blister or worse.

Not with this kid however. Though the connection was anything but strong, it didn't cause them any discomfort. Liz was curious, but she knew very little about how the Meister-Weapon relationship worked, other than it was a pretty efficient way to kill people. For the time, Liz could just chalk the compatibility on both parties' willingness to work with each other.

"Oi, where are we going?!" Patty's words caused Liz to focus back on the current situation. Currently they had just left the central entrance, the sounds of battle reverberating through the building behind them.

"To my place, Medusa said my guardians could be in danger-!"

"Fine, but that's freebie! You owe us…" Liz paused in thought. "What's your name anyways?"

"Kid."

"You're serious?"

"Yup."

" _Who the fuck names their kid, Kid?!"_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A much calmer scene was taking place several blocks from Kid's location, in an open plaza filled with all kinds of humans –and not.

The square itself was haphazardly built, practically an amalgamation of squares, circles and triangles, more fit as a child's first attempt at drawing than an actual structured area. The brickwork on the floor resembled the square's chaotic shape, with no distinguishable pattern between the orange and red bricks, as if the red bricks were the result of constant waves of crimson blood trickling down from the guillotines and hanging trees scattered around the opening.

With some relief, Maka noticed there were no corpses on the execution grounds, though that may have meant the 'criminals' were being tortured, or even worse, their souls already given as sacrifices to the Kishin Council.

A white-haired boy sitting dejectedly on one of the scattered benches distracted the teen from her grim thoughts.

"Hey!" Maka yelled putting a hand high in the air and giving the boy a wide smile.

The male teen initially gave her a confused look, before making out the two blonde pigtails showing underneath the petite girl's hood. He gave her an awkward wave before slowly heading towards her.

"What's with the spy get-up?" Soul joked, eyeing Maka's loose colorful hoodie and track pants, seemingly hiding every noticeable characteristic of hers and betraying only a thin figure.

"Come on." The girl stubbornly urged him, taking Soul by the hand and leading him way from the center of the square towards the outskirts, until the plaza was lost from sight as the two teens turned around the corner of a semi-collapsed concrete building.

"Sorry about that," Maka sheepishly said, slipping her hoodie off and revealing her face.

"Not popular around this place?"

"You could say so…"

Soul gave her a curious look but Maka looked at him straight on, unfazed.

"So…"

"It was pretty weird, last night, huh?"

"Yeah… hey about the weapon thing-!" Soul lowered his voice, "you haven't told anyone, have you?"

"N-no… kind of…" Upon seeing Soul's horrified expression Maka spoke up, "he's my fiend and he's a Meister as well, kind of, but he doesn't have a weapon partner-"

"He?"

"Uh yes? His name's Kid, I know it sounds weird but he's a good person I promise-"

"So uh," Soul scratched his cheek and avoided eye contact, "you're close to him?"

Maka threw the boy a confused look. "Kid and I have known each other since we were little. He's a good friend."

"Ah so a friend…" Soul's frame visibly deflated with relief.

"…Everything ok?"

"Nope I just feel very embarrassed," Soul whispered the last part to himself. "By the way I haven't told anyone about yesterday."

"No even your family?"

"Definitely not. They know I'm a weapon but… I don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh… ok."

An awkward silence fell between the two, Maka absent-mindedly playing with her pigtails, while Soul reclined to the wall behind him.

Which was soon broken by an explosion resounded from a block of houses far away from the square.

"What the hell…?"

Maka's eyes widened in realization. "Oh no…."

"Wha-?!"

"That's my friend's house-!"

A second explosion echoed from the background again, a trail of smoke appearing at the horizon.

"Their house?"

"Kid…" Maka uttered, her gaze fixed towards the explosion. The girl gulped and turned away from the boy. "Sorry, I have to go!"

And was stopped by Soul grabbing her arm. "Hey let me help, I'm coming with ya!"

"E-eh?" Maka stuttered, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks and nose.

"You dummy," Soul lightly poked her to the head. "Meisters and Weapon are supposed to work together, right?"

"R-Right!" Maka's blush deepened and she looked anywhere but the boy. "Let's do this, Soul."

Maka and Soul ran towards the direction of the smoke.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

When the two teens arrived, the house had completely collapsed. Whatever metal frames were used to support the old structure had now given away, laying discarded on top of other ruble, broken and bent beyond the repair. Bricks and other rubble littered the whole street and formed a sizable pile where the building once stood. Maka's blood run cold, seeing her friend's house reduced to ruin. Besides her, Soul eyed the rubble with apprehension, and gulped.

"Whoever attacked this place did a pretty thorough job of it."

"Miss Marie…" Maka muttered distractedly. The teen knew Kid was away at school, Azusa was at her job, whereas her dad was out, leaving the only person overseeing the entire building to Miss Marie. "And Nigus…" the girl whispered, remembering the household's 'secret' guest.

"Who-?"

"Oh, more people arrived." A timid voice interrupted Soul's question and Maka turned her head to see the speaker.

Above all the ruble stood a thin figure, timidly looking around the chaos, one hand clutched to the other whereas the right grasped a menacing black sword.

"Who are you-What did you do to Miss Marie?!" Maka screamed with anger, fists clenched.

"So you know the people who live here…" The teen's voice was weak and quiet. "I don't know how to deal with you." Heavy blank, obstructed by pink bangs eyes settled on the Meister and Weapon duo. "Lady Medusa instructed I take the souls of everyone related to the house…" the androgynous teen lazily lifted up the sword in a striking position. "So, I'm sorry but I'll have to eat your soul."

"I'd like to see you try," Maka hissed and adopted a battle stance while Soul erupted to a flash of light.

Soul's weapon form fell neatly in Maka's grip, who twirled the weapon before raising it in a battle position, the sun reflecting off the blade's smooth metal.

"You're a Meister and a Weapon pair…"

"What's your name?!"

"Why do you want to know my name?"

Maka swung Soul so the scythe's shaft rested on her shoulders, and gave the teen a smug smile. "I want to know my opponent's name before I kick their ass."

A metallic chuckle reverberated through the scythe's frame, Soul's face and part of his naked torso appearing on the black metal blade. "Smooth."

The mysterious person frowned. "You're very arrogant."

"I'm not afraid of you."

The pink-haired teen gave them a small snort. "My name is Crona."

"I'm Maka Albarn, Scythe Meister. Nice to meet you Crona."

"I don't think your tone is sincere… I don't know how to deal with that."

"I see you have a Weapon as well Crona…" Maka interrupted them, eyeing the sword clasped at the teen's hands. "Care to introduce us?"

Crona's eyes widened in fear. "Oh no, don't make him come out-"

The teen's back exploded into a black liquid, swirling along the area before rising up, forming a ridiculously muscled torso, two bulging arms and a round head with a giant white X, with large ping-pong ball-like eyes.

"The hell is that?" Soul muttered from the sidelines.

"You made him come out…"

" **Hey Crona why are we dilly-dallying here!?"** The figure yelled, poking the timid Meister with an oversized finger. **"The hell are you waiting for, go get them!"**

"Who are you?" Maka demanded from the inhuman figure, her grip on Soul hardening.

"That's Ragnarok," Crona replied, trying their best to escape the creatures now attempts at a headlock. "He's my weapon partner-"

" **ARE YOU BEING UNGRATEFUL YOU LITTLE TWERP?! YOU THINK I LIKE BEING STUCK WITH A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"**

"Oh wow, they really don't like each other-" Soul muttered from the background.

" **Less talking more slicing!"** the monstrous entity screamed as it formed into the black longsword once again. Crona jumped at Maka, the tip of the blade aimed at her abdomen.

Maka blocked the attack using Soul's haft, deflecting the throw away and throwing the pink-haired teenager off their balance. With a fierce battle cry she planted her feet on the ground, pulled the scythe back before twisting it around the blade, coming straight at Crona's waist and expecting it to slice the teen in half.

Only for the blade to collide against skin with a resounding thud, knocking Crona a few meters way but not causing even a faint scratch on them.

"How-?"

"Don't you know?" Crona muttered, wobbly standing up and using Ragnarok for support, until their hunched frame turned to Maka. "My blood is black."

Letting out a battle cry that was anything but imposing, Crona lunged for Maka. The girl scoffed, planting Soul's haft to the ground and using it as a pole to jump over Crona's attack. The girl gracefully landed and twisted her grip so that Soul formed a wide arch before crashing at Crona's side again, only this time the blow was blocked by a nonchalantly raised forearm.

"Not again!"

Crona pushed the scythe aside, raising their Weapon high up before bringing it down towards Maka. The girl barely had enough time to use Soul to block the blow, pushed aside by the pink-haired teen's deceptively powerful attack. Sparks flew as the two weapon collided, metal clanking against metal.

Maka gritted her teeth as Crona didn't even flinch, despite the female Meister's best effort to overpower them as her muscles worked overtime to push the pink haired teen back. With a growl, Maka shifted her balance on one foot and quickly brought the other up and around, kicking Crona in the stomach and causing the teen to stumble, allowing her to disengage from the seemingly hopeless battle of strength.

"What's your deal anyway?!" Maka shouted, hoping to distraught the other Meister so she could catch her breath. "Why are you attacking this place, us?!"

"Lady Medusa told me so-"

"And what are you, some lackey prodigy caretaker?" Maka's huffed. "You can't say no to your boss-?"

"No. She's my mom."

Crona lunged again at a wide-eyed Maka. However, two pink flashes of light appeared from behind the girl and hit Crona in the face, sending the teen crashing to the floor.

"Maka!" the girl heard a familiar voice call out.

A black-haired boy ran up to the pair. Soul noticed he was tall and thin, dressed in a shirt and pants and also carrying an overstuffed backpack. The thing that stuck out to the demon weapon most were the two identical guns the boy was carrying.

"The hell is that dude?"

"Well that's not very polite," the boy's voice was a bit winded but oddly dignified. Had it not been for his worn out appearance, Soul could have mistaken him as someone with a high socio-economic status.

"That's Kid my friend," Maka said to Soul.

"Oh, uh… Sup?" Soul quickly muttered, not wanting to appear cold and uncool.

"Hello," and "SUP MOTHERFUCKERS!?" were the two answers he received from the guns.

"What?!" It was Maka's turn to look surprised.

"Oh, yes, let me introduce you, this is Liz and Patty," he motioned to each gun respectively, "Liz, Patty, this is Maka, Maka these are my weapon partners, Liz and Patty." the girl gave the two guns a dumb-struck nod, "I take it the scythe is Soul?"

"Hi again."

"Nice to finally meet you, I'm Kid, Maka's friend and," he looked at the ruble and his voice trailed off. "Good grief…"

"We haven't seen Miss Marie or Nigus," Maka filled Kid in, "and I don't know if they made it out of the wreckage-"

Maka's words were cut off as Crona stood up and regarded the teens with abject fascination. "You all know each other. I don't know how to deal with that."

"And who's this charming fellow?" Kid said with a dry tone.

Maka's gaze hardened. "Demon swordsman Crona."

"W-Wait, Crona as in Crona, Crona?" Liz's panicked voice came from the gun on Kid's right hand. "Medusa's-kid-Crona?!"

"Yup," Soul answered hesitantly.

"Nope, fuck that, me and Patty are not fighting against this bastard-!"

Said bastard came after Kid, who dodged a potentially fatal slash at the last moment.

"Well, we don't have that option anymore-"

"Goddamnit Kid I agreed to take out a few assholes, not Medusa's fucking wonder child-!"

"If you stop screaming for a second Elizabeth maybe we'll be able to come up with an actual plan instead of _blindly attacking_ -" Kid's words became strained as he dodged each attack with increasing difficulty.

"Come up with any plans yet brainiac?!"

"Keeping three of us in one piece is hard enough without the commentary! _"_

A blade wrapped itself at Crona's torso before colliding with the teen's body and sending it flying one again.

"Good one Maka!"

However Crona stood up, completely unharmed and without a scratch in sight.

" _Did that bastard just survive a fucking scythe to the side?!"_

"That blow should have cut them in half…" Kid muttered to himself, ignoring Liz's frantic rants.

But Maka didn't give up, this time swinging Soul overhead before bringing down the scythe with all her might, the shard edge heading straight for Crona's eyes.

"You can't hurt me…" Crona blocked the blow with the sword, simultaneously raising their free forearm to protect their head from the sister's bullets. "My blood is black."

"Black Blood?" Kid quirked an eyebrow. "Are you being metaphorical-"

His question was answered by Crona grabbing Soul's blade, barely scratching the teen's skin and allowing a few black droplets to flow freely from the hand.

"-Or you're being completely literal and _what the hell the blood is actually black_ -"

Kid's mini-rant caused Crona to revert their attention to him and the sisters. The teen lunged at the boy, letting out another battle cry which sounded more like actual crying. As for Kid, the most he could do is dodge and occasionally shoot at the teen. Though the bullets had some knockback, they seemed unable to penetrate the blood-fuelled sub-dermal armour of the pink-haired teen. And the battle would continue in such a pattern if Kid had not noticed a very minute detail about their opponent's appearance.

Crona's bangs were in varying lengths and completely asymmetrical.

" _Focus, you brat!"_

Kid's attention faltered, causing the boy to lose his footing and trip, leaving himself wide open. Crona loomed over him, sword pointed at his torso.

" _FUCKING DODGE!"_

Too late. Crona's sword went through Kid's stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should change my author's name to HorribleCliffiesMcCliffhanger. Anyways, next update will be in two weeks.  
> Also, the banter between Liz and Kid… I could write them forever XD  
> If this catches your fancy, feel free to check out my other ongoing story, An Unorthodox Alliance. It's a Supernatural x Soul Eater crossover (Kid-centric because why not), and takes place during the Apocalypse storyline in SPN, and after the end of Soul Eater.


	5. Of Wannabe Gods and Mad Doctors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On Crona, I’m trying to go with the whole ‘Crona has no specified gender’ thing, but that means I have to use they, and I can feel my English Grammar teacher screaming obscenities and throwing books at me (my English Grammar classes were hardcore XD).

“ ** _Kid!!!”_** Maka screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes wide as she stared at the gory sight.

Crona was standing atop the boy, passive eyes locked with shocked golden ones. The sword went in through Kid’s stomach, but it was only when a thin pool of blood formed around Kid’s back that one fully realised the extent of the damage. Kid himself only stared at the pink-haired teen at horror, either at loss or because his soul was already starting to come apart.

Crona slowly raised Ragnarok diagonally, forcing Kid’s body in a vertical position and the impaled teen let out a gargled yell of pain. The boy’s hands loosened and the two guns he was clutching were now free-falling to the pavement…

The right gun glowed a bright pink light. In an instant Liz pointed Patty right at Crona’s face and pulled the trigger.

Crona stumbled back, Ragnarok exiting Kid’s abdomen with a sickening sound. The brunette’s knees buckled the moment the sword exited. Liz caught kid’s body in mid-air, the longer strands of sandy blonde hair shadowing her eyes while Patty transformed into human form her gaze transfixed at her wounded Meister. Maka stood frozen, unable to believe the scene in front of her. Her friend’s upper body was drenched in blood from a gaping wound on his chest.

_No, it couldn’t be, Kid couldn’t-_

“Shit Maka we need to cover them!” came Soul’s voice from the scythe.

Kid coughed.

Realization hit Maka like a ton of bricks. “He’s still holding on…”

“We’ll take him to a safe place- you keep that freak at bay, girl!” Liz barked at Maka, the sister’s hand now soaked in Kid’s blood.

Letting out a vengeful battle cry, Maka lunged at Crona with the ferocity of a battle-hardened Valkyrie. The pink-haired teen barely had time to react as Soul’s blade collided with their frame, sending them straight to a pile of rubble, the collision forming a sizable cloud of dust.

“Did we get them _now_?”

A thin silhouette stood up in the cloud of dust. Maka’s eyes narrowed.

“Not yet.”

The girl lunged again, swinging Soul in a wide arc straight at the silhouette. The force of her hit swept the dust cloud away, revealing a befuddled Crona rubbing their head in pain.

“Ow, that hu-”

They never finished the sentence as the scythe connected with Crona’s neck, straight at the windpipe. The blow did not even scratch the skin, yet Maka didn’t seem to mind and reversed her grip. The end of the scythe’s shaft now soared through the air and straight at Crona’s head, knocking the teen off balance. Another hit caused the witch’s child to go airborne, then skid across the floor, where Ragnarok melted into a pool of black blood.

“Ow…”

“You’re finished!” Maka roared, using Soul as a pole to go airborne, then brought the scythe around as she descended towards Crona like a vengeful deity.

“No.” Crona’s hands reached out and grabbed the scythe’s blade, black blood running freely through the teen’s cut palms. Maka, still in mid-air, could only watch in shock.

“Screech Resonance.”

A horrifying, inhuman scream, merged with Crona’s own pathetic yell in a cacophony of sound was followed by a wave of dark energy coming off from the child’s body and towards the Meister-Weapon pair. Both Maka and Soul yelled in surprise and rolled to the floor.

Maka was not done yet though. With clenched teeth, the teen reached out for Soul…

To see the scythe bleed from where the attack made contact. Soul’s face appeared on the scythe’s blade, a thin trail of blood coming from his temple, and looked at the witch’s child in fear.

_…Weapons weren’t supposed to bleed_. Maka’s father had told her as much; weapons were nearly indestructible in their weapon form. How had that person-?

Maka’s weapon glowed and Soul appeared before her, before falling down and coughing up blood.

“Soul-!”

“Get back!” the albino growled at Maka, before turning to Crona. “You are not hurting my Meister!”

“There’s no point. You’ll both get eaten…” Crona’s voice trailed off and raised Ragnarok at the two, in an eerily similar way they had done when Kid was down. Soul reached out for Maka’s hand while the girl shut her eyes in fear.

_No… This couldn’t be how things ended… First Kid and now…_

**_“ALONE I WALK THROUGH HEAVEN AND HELL!”_ **

Maka opened her eyes again, to see Crona sprawled on the sidewalk and a blue-haired short boy wielding a katana standing proudly in front of her and Soul.

“…Wha-”

“HEY ASSHOLE!” the boy cut her off, the katana pointed at the pink-haired teen’s direction. “Are you Medusa’s kid?!”

“Yes. My name is Crona not asshole,” the witch’s child muttered as they awkwardly brought themselves upright, using Ragnarok for support. “And don’t insult me; I don’t know how to deal with insults…”

The boy ignored the last part and took a triumphant step forwards. “So you’re the Crona everyone’s been talking about!”

Said ‘celebrity’ started to tremble. “P-People have been talking about m-me? I-I don’t know how to deal with that…” the teen hissed in distress, “a-and w-w-who are you?”

“THE NAME’S BLACKSTAR! I CAME HERE TO FIGHT YOU!”

“Oh…” The teen straightened up. “Usually I’m the one who attacks people… I don’t know how to deal with being attacked…” Crona regained their previous passive expression. “Oh well, I guess I’ll have to take your soul as well…”

“Ha! I’d like to see you try!”

Black*Star lunged at Crona with incredible speed. The witch’s child barely managed to bring Ragnarok up to block the katana, sparks flying off when the two weapons made contact.

“Screech Reso-”

The boy quickly broke from the standoff, instead using his leg to kick Crona’s stomach simultaneously slashing their arm, pushing them a few meters away.

“Damnit,” Black*Star muttered, rocking the leg he used to kick the teen back and forth. “That pink haired bastard is tough ain’t he?” The boy squinted. “Or she.”

“Who are you?!” Maka exclaimed in confusion.

“What are you, deaf?!” He turned at the girl. “My name’s BLACKSTAR AND I’LL TOPPLE THE GODS!” The boy yelled and let out a booming arrogant laugh.

“This tells me nothing!”

“Um, hello,” came a mature but timid voice from the chain. “My name is Nakatsukasa Tsubaki.”

“You’re a Meister and Weapon?” Soul observed as he slowly stood up.

“Ha! We’re not just one Weapon-Meister pair! We’re THE pair!” Black*Star adopted a battle pose. “ _LOOK UPON US AND FEAR OUR MIGHT!_ ”

“You’re loud.” The two pairs’ focus shifted to Crona, now nursing a tear in their uniformly black robe. What little skin was revealed had already healed from Black*Star’s attack, and mostly covered by the sinister black blood substance. “Just die already!”

Soul quickly transformed again, as Maka and Black*Star both dodged Crona’s attack. The female Meister careful not to let Soul touch any part of Crona’s sword while Black*Star was more reckless, using his Weapon’s chain to trip Crona then lunging at the teen as Tsubaki transformed into a katana.

“Yahoo!”’ Black*Star sliced across Crona’s hand, yet the katana stuck to Crona’s skin which didn’t even bulge. The boy frowned and quickly jumped away from Crona.

“How are they still alive?” Tsubaki muttered as she transformed back to the chain-blade, revealing a wide-eyed reflection.

“Tough bastard.” Black*Star firmed his grasp on the chain’s handle, a smirk stretching along his face. “…Harder than I thought.”

“Crona’s using black blood to protect themselves from out attacks,” Maka walked next to Black*Star, eyeing the pink-haired teen with apprehension.

“Black blood?”

“I don’t know what it is, but Crona is able to harden it, making them impenetrable.”

The boy’s face stretched into an arrogant smirk. “Nothing’s impentri-something for a God!”

“Watch out!” Tsubaki yelled, as the two Meisters barely had time to dodge a forwards slash from the pink-haired teen. Crona stumbled forwards when their attack made no contact. Instead of tumbling down however, the teen clutched the sword with both hands, and broadly swung it towards Maka, who bent her back uncomfortably so as to not get sliced in half. The girl didn’t dare letting Soul come into extended contact with any part of the witch’s child; she didn’t want Soul to die.

“Not today!” Black*Star elbow-struck Crona at the back, knocking the wind out of them and followed with a powerful punch in the same spot.

**_“Black_ ** **_*_ ** **_Star Big Wave!”_ **

Despite Maka not using her Soul Perception, she felt a powerful Soul Wavelength where the attack connected, as if it was the shockwave of a powerful blast. As for Crona, the demon swordsman’s face widened in shock and pain, the blast sending them straight at a pile of rubble. The witch’s child did not get up however; instead he managed to support themselves using their elbows, the demon sword falling out of their grasp and melting into a black liquid.

Crona coughed up blood. “What….?”

“His attack actually did damage! What the hell was that?!” came Soul’s excited tone from the scythe.

“Black*Star,” Tsubaki muttered, “please be more careful…”

The boy however did not heed her advice and dashed to the fallen teen, his free hand crackling with his Soul Wavelength.

“Black*Star Big-!”

“ _Bloody Needle.”_

The back blood extended upwards and solidified into a myriad of thin black spikes, resembling a hedgehog’s back. One of the needles grazed Black*Star’s side, causing him to lose his footing and then roll as several spikes extended at a perpendicular angle straight at him. Cursing his oversight, Black*Star used Tsubaki’s blade to deflect most of the needles.

The sword materialised at Crona’s hand. The ninja’s eyes widened in realisation; by effectively dodging the countless spikes, Black*Star had flung himself right besides the demon swordsman who now raised their sword once more.

_“Black*Star!”_

A curved black blade appeared from underneath the rubble, ripping through Crona’s stomach and holding the pink-haired teen in place.

_“What-”_

A familiar blonde woman sucker-punched Crona with the end of her hammer-like arm, crushing the teen’s face with a satisfying sound in and sending them flying to the opposite building, filling the area with smoke.

_“-the heck-”_

“ _Papa!_ ”

_“-are they?!”_

The menacing scythe transformed into a human hand, still covered in blood. The blonde woman followed his example, and used her now-human hand to grip the bloody appendage and pull. The pile of debris collapsed, revealing a scraggy red-haired man.

_“MAKA!”_ The redhead lunged for the girl, and Maka stood numb as her father enveloped her in a tight hug, scythe and all.

“Oi, what the hell is going on?!” yelled Soul as he found himself a victim of an unwanted hug.

It was at this point that the man realised there other people besides his daughter. “Wait, who are _you_ boy?!”

“Uh,” the scythe transformed back into a human form. “I’m Soul. I’m Maka’s… weapon partner.”

“You have a Weapon?!” The man turned to his daughter, considerably paler than a few seconds ago. “Why didn’t you tell your papa?!”

Maka scoffed, turning her head away.

“Wait, _you_ are her dad?!”

“What’s wrong with that?!” Spirit protested.

Soul scratched his head dismissively. “I thought you’d be much cooler looking.”

“ _Oi-!”_

“Not now, Spirit!” came a frustrated yell. The teens and adult looked back on the rubble, to see a dishevelled Asian woman, standing up with the help of the other female Weapon.

“Miss Marie, Miss Azusa…” Maka sighed. “I’m glad you’re ok.”

“I’m glad you kids are alright too. But…” Marie frowned in worry.

“Have you seen Kid?”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A less merry conversation was taking place a few blocks away from the wanton destruction.

_“You little bastard, if you die from a fucking stab wound I’ll be pissed, how the hell do you survive bullets but not swords I mean what the hell-“_

“Everything is ringing-”

“And how did you get stabbed in the first place – it’s a _huge-ass black sword with belts and shit_ how did you not dodge that-?!“

“My stomach feels funny…”

“That’s ‘cause half of it is hanging outside your body, you little prick.”

“Is it doing so in a symmetrical fashion?”

Liz pointedly ignored the delirious teen. “At least you’re conscious,” she mumbled to herself. “ _Fuck’s sake,_ how did we even end up as partners?”

“Medusa’s a bitch,” Patty murmured, running alongside her sister, “but Kid’s gonna be fine Lizzie! He survived our bullets!”

The older sister looked down at the bleeding teen and grimaced. “He’s losing a lot of blood…”

“Don’t matter now sis, cause of the no-death thingy! We just have to patch him up like a mummy!”

Liz cringed. “Maybe not exactly like a mummy. Just have to keep his guts inside…”

The two sisters came to a stop and looked around. They were in an abandoned alleyway, no idea where, and Liz doubted Patty knew where they were either. To be honest, when they left the battle with Kid in her arms Liz had no plan in mind, but just wanted to get away from the homicidal witch’s child. Her lack of thought however, seemed to have resulted in them being lost in the streets of New York in an area she wasn’t at all familiar with. This could spell trouble…

“Well… what have we here?”

And trouble it did spell, as an unknown voice came behind them. Liz immediately turned back, taking a step forward to shield Patty form a potential attacker.

Before them was a man of an imposing, if not thin, stature, clad in white labcoat. His eyes were obscured by a pair of round glasses and grey hair. The most striking feature however were the beginning and end of a screw protruding from the man’s skull.

Everything went black.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

The first thing Liz noticed was the light. Specifically the lack of it.

“Patty?” Her voice was raspy and quiet, revealing her own exhaustion. The older Thompson gingerly raised herself from the floor, shivering at its cold tiled texture.

“…Lizzie?” came a slurred remark from somewhere to her right. “You awake sis?”

Liz grunted in discomfort as she forced herself up, pressing on several unknown bruises and flexing cramped muscles. The teen supported herself on the grey bland wall besides her, taking a closer look of her surroundings.

It wasn’t completely dark. A faint ray of light from an old hanging light bulb revealed metal bars in front of her, much like a prison cell. Her assumption was confirmed by another bland wall a meter away from her.

The teen stumbled her way to the metal bars, squinting to pick up the details of the room from the faint light. Her first worry was Patty. From what little she could make to her right, she noticed a matching set of bars; her sister was trapped as much as Liz was. Though it did little to ease her dread, Liz let out a small sigh upon finding her sister safe and focused on the rest of the room.

A naked bulb flickered on and off at random intervals, the faint light obstructed and reflected in countless dust particles, giving it a musky smell covered by a strong smell of antiseptic. It was also very quiet, eerily so. The room had a wicked ambience, one Liz had encountered in a Kishin-infested hospital. Combined with a certain chillness that permeated the walls, the teen couldn’t help her imagination run wild. Eldritch horrors and blood soaked limbs withered in the shadows…

No! She wouldn’t succumb to the madness by a creepy old shack! She had to focus! She was the famed Devil of Brooklyn - countless people had been eaten and robbed blind by her! This was nothing she couldn’t handle!

Liz repeated the above mental though like a mantra as she took in the rest of her surroundings. Any nook or cranny could hide the key to her and her sister’s escape from this bedlam-like place.

In the middle of the room, beyond the metal bars, was a long rectangular table. She couldn’t make out much as the whole structure was covered by an expansive white sheet, and its folding implied there was something on top of the table…

With dread Liz realized the strange bumps on the sheet were the outlines of a body.

“Ah, so you’re finally awake.”

Liz whipped her head at the direction of the voice. Grey hair surrounded his scarred face, eyes obstructed by large glasses. Clad in a white stitched-up labcoat with a large metal-screw lodged deep in his scalp, the man she and Patty had faced before they black out was now facing the sisters with a satisfied smirk.

Liz’s anger however vastly overpowered her sense of dread. “Who the hell are you? What do you want with us?!” Despite her frantic state Liz mustered all bravado she had to try and looked intimidating. To her delight, she felt her face scrunch up in leer which made most of her victims into quivering messes.

Yet the man took a passive swig of his cigarrete, seemingly apathetic to the teen’s menacing glower. “My, no need to get so worked up. You’re safe, for now.”

“Answer my question!”

“You’re in no position to make demands.” The man went down the stairs, coming closer to the elder Thompson’s cage. “But perhaps we can help each other out?”

“What’d ya mean?” Liz snorted, her eyes fixed on the scientist. Her annoyance increased when Liz realized the man was standing just a few centimeters away from her grabbing range.

“Easy. You answer one of my questions, I answer one of yours. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?”

The older Thompson scowled at his nonchalant delivery, but settled for: “…Fine. I go first.”

The man gave her a dishonest smile and nodded in agreement.

“Who are you?”

“My name Doctor Frank N. Stein. As for who I am, I consider myself a man of science.” He answered with no hesitation. “You and your sister are identical demon weapons, correct?”

“Yes. Where are we and why are we here?”

“One question at a time.”

“You can ask me two later.”

“… Alright.” Stein gave in. “You are in my lab. As for why… I’m curious.”

“You’re what?”

“My turn. You were fighting someone. Who was it and why?”

“Crona, Medusa’s child.” The scientist gave the teen a mildly intrigued look. “ _As for why_ ,” Liz mocked the man’s speech pattern, “that’s ‘cause our Meister’s a suicidal idiot-” Liz cut herself short in realization. “Where is he?”

“Where’s who?”

“Kid, the boy we were with. Short, scrawny, freaking gaping hole on his chest.”

“Ah, him. He’s here.”

“Where-?!”

“Which brings me to my final question.” Stein cut her off. “The boy you were with… What is he?”

“Eh?”

“You must have noticed. He has an abnormally large soul. Makes you wonder…”

“You didn’t answer my previous question!” Liz protested. “Where’s Kid? I wanna see him so I can punch his stupid face for getting us involved in this fucking mess!”

“You already do. He’s right in front of you. Unfortunately he’s not in a position to talk to right now.” Stain lifted the white sheet.

Liz stared in horror as Kid’s face appeared from under the sheet. From what little the sister could make out his eyes were closed, with dark circled under them as the rest of his pale skin was hard to distinguish from the sheet.

Liz felt her shock turn to range and she gripped the metal bars to the point where it became painful. “What’d you do to him you asshole?!”

“I did nothing. That’s how I found him; unconscious and on the verge of death. Though the latter can’t be applied these days… still it’s always fascinating when you have a new specimen to study.”

The elder Thompson didn’t reply, trying her best to contain her rage, in fear her sister pays the price.

“I take it he was run through with a broadsword; one can’t recover from a wound like that.” Stein let the sheet fallback down, covering Kid’s face. “I’m sorry to say that but your friend is as good as dead.”

Liz body tensed up. Just once they’d found a person who seemed somewhat decent and now... Goddamit.

She clenched her fists to hide her anger. “What now?” she hissed to the doctor.

“Hm?”

“What happens to me and Patty? And Kid?”

“Your friend is most interesting. I want to study him a bit more.”

“More?”

“I’ve already taken in a few samples to examine. However there’s much to be done. Dissection reveals all of an organism’s secrets…”

“As or you and your sister… You are the only one of the two who has eaten a soul, correct?”

“How do you know that?”

“I always wanted to examine the physiological aspects of a demon weapon. Since you have identical weapon forms than that’d be excellent in determining the effects of consuming souls on your kind’s physiology…”

“You’re… you’re insane-!”

“That’s rich, coming from a soul eater herself.”

“Fuck off, you don’t know me!”

“On the contrary. One’s soul can reveal their darkest secrets. For example…” Stein’s voice trailed off as he got hold of the screw and turn, making a winding up noise and causing Liz to back away in shock. “You’re Elizabeth Thompson, age 17. Overly protective of your younger sister, Patricia Thompson, age 14. You’re cynical, cruel, cold, but surprisingly loyal…”

Liz could only stare with horror at the man who rattled of information about her she didn’t realize she had.

“…By the way you never answered my question about your Meister, what was his name again?”

“For all I know it’s Kid.”

“…Seriously?”

Liz could only respond with a glare, clutching the prison bars as if she was trying to rip them apart and then perform the same feat on the man before her.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

In a realm far removed by the mad Earth –or was it?- a pale skinny boy slowly opened his eyes.

The white surrounding him, covering everything. Not that there was much to see. Kid was in an empty space, a white sky infinitely stretching across a black floor. Had it not been for Kid’s yellow eyes, the entire place would be nothing but a monochromatic scenery of a never-ending sea of black lost in a horizon of intense white.

Kid shifted and felt a smooth fabric brushing along his skin. Looking downwards, the boy discovered he was covered in a thin black fabric… if there was any fabric that sifted and morphed into various spikes at its edges.

Kid made himself sit up, clutching the mysterious fabric close to his frame, and looked around in confusion. The space around him was empty, not a person of object in sight. Where on Earth was he?

With a rising sense of dread, the boy looked down. The floor felt smooth and cold, like glass.

Kid tapped the floor experimentally. Though no sound came from the contact, a small wave of darkness rippled through the floor.

Another tap. Another ripple of darkness.

Frowning with confusion, the boy gingerly stood up and took an experimental step forwards. Another ripple extended outward from where his foot met the floor. Whatever black liquid was below him seemed to respond to his actions, despite being separated by the strange glass-like surface. Was that supposed to signify something? Why was there a barrier in the first place?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of droplets falling against the surface, echoing across this strange realm despite the lack of walls. Kid whipped his head around, trying to locate the source. Only when his feet felt wet did the boy think of looking down…

And immediately regret he hadn’t. A pool of dark red blood, almost black in colour, had formed around Kid’s feet. The teen backpedalled away in horror, only to realize it was coming from him, thin rivulets of the liquid having formed on his skinny legs.

The teen slipped on blood and crashed down. Using his elbow for support and through frantic breaths, Kid inadvertently let go of the black fabric which sipped from his shoulders, exposing a gaping wound oozing with the near black substance on Kid’s torso.

And then the cracks came.

Where Kid’s blood had fallen, thin cracks spread throughout the glass-like surface, running across the floor and forming web-like structures.

Cursing out of fear, Kid quickly forced himself to stand up, backing away from the cracks which were making their way towards the boy. From the corner of his eye, Kid noticed the surface slowly giving away, small chunks breaking apart from the main structure and falling into the black abyss below.

Kid ran.

The cracks followed close behind, new forming where Kid’s blood kept falling and joining the ranks of countless others, as this seemingly serene place was overtaken by tendrils of darkness rising from their prison. The boy’s breaths came quick and shallow as he ran away from the destruction, yet his efforts were in vain. Eventually the cracks started catching up to him, until Kid lost his footing and fell down. At the last moment he managed to grab the side of the strange glass surface, but it started to slip downwards, taking the boy with him.

“No!” In a desperate attempt, Kid gripped an edge that was still connected to the main undamaged surface. The boy was now dangling in the air on one hand, the other still clutching onto the black robe like a form of protection.

To Kid’s horror, the edge was sharp and dug into his palm, drawing blood. A small crack formed, slowly making its way along the edge…

His support was soon gone, and the teen plunged into the black void, letting out a terrified scream.

A protective bubble formed.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Back on Earth, Kid’s vision was filled with a dull grey color and faint blinking lights. A muffled voice came from his left. Kid trashed with a sheet-like fabric, vision not quite there yet as he tried to stand up…

And promptly fell from wherever he was laying.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic will be mostly Kid-centric from now on; had to lay some groundwork for the characters in this Universe (phew, Soul Eater has a ton of them). Also, and this kinda bad news, but exam period is coming up and I may be MIA till 13-14 of November… there is a possibility the next update won’t be on time (there goes my perfect record), but I won’t be dead! Only binging on Genetics, Microbiology, Evolution and Developmental Biology xD
> 
> A confession: I felt an increasing need to make a bad period joke about the last part. XD Instead I’ll leave that part to the readers. Make me proud.


	6. Don't Let The Dead Sucker-Punch You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Sakura23165 for beta'ing the chapter! Also, there wasn't a delay! Ayyyyy  
> ...I just want exams to be over so I can get to enjoy Australia's beaches and sunshine (while staying inside and writing fan fiction XD)

First thing Kid heard in his newly-restored senses was Liz's welcoming voice.

" _Now you're just fucking with me._ "

The boy's head immediately turned to the source of the sound, his shocked expression relaxed somewhat upon seeing the familiar woman. "Liz? Is that you?"

"Yay, Kid's alive! And you're not a mummy!"

That was Patricia's voice, coming from a darkened place next to Liz's. The boy let out a small smile towards the younger sister's direction and then turned to the older one. To Kid's puzzlement, the elder Thompson did not look relieved. Her body was tense, hands clutching at metal bars –wait was she in a cell?- her wide eyes transfixed on the boy. "You're alive…"

"Where are we-?"

" _You fucking recovered_ -!"

"Why are you in a cage-?!"

" _How the fuck did you survive the sword?!_ "

"-and what happened to my clothes?!" Kid wrapped the sheet around him in embarrassment. "I can't wonder around with only pants on, where's my shirt?!"

"Would you shut it for a moment?" Liz hissed.

"Yeah, Dr. Nuts could come down here again!"

"You found a Doctor?" Kid looked down on his torso and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness, is that how my stomach got sewn back together-?"

"Holy shit, just shut up for a moment and listen!"

The urgency and slight fear on Liz's voice caused Kid to pause and frown at the woman. "…That wasn't very polite."

"Fuck you. Now listen up," she huffed. "While your pale ass was bleeding on the streets, me and Patty got ambushed by some mad doctor. He brought us here, locked me and Patty up and was planning to use you as his personal dissection guinea pig."

Kid looked down on his torso. "Suddenly those stitches don't feel so reassuring anymore."

Liz snorted. "No time, get the keys so we can get the hell away from this place."

The boy let out an indignant huff but followed the elder Thompson's instructions, walking around the lab and checking every crowded surface. To the boy's dislike, his body felt stiff and cold, but perhaps such things were to be expected if one found themselves resembling a kebab.

As he was looking behind a metal wheeled counter, Kid brought up a hand to his stomach. From what little he'd seen, the gory wound had been stitched back together. A small but strong part of Kid's mind wanted to spend the next half hour analyzing the sutures and determining whether their arrangement was symmetrical enough, but a larger part of him wanted to get out of this madhouse with minimal screaming from Elizabeth.

Kid opened the metal counter's self, revealing a white garment hastily thrown inside. "Oh, I think I found my shirt-"

"Hurry up!"

"It's not as easy as it looks," Kid complained as he closed the self and put on his shirt, wrapping the white sheet around to cover the bloodstains. "Everything here is so messy…" The boy continued as he made his way to a small metal desk, shuffling away papers with incomprehensible data. "A good clean-up is what this place needs, and a symmetrical rearrangement…" Kid paused as his hand came in contact with a bump under the papers.

"…I think I found it," Kid brought up an old rusted key from underneath a bound pile of papers. It had a simple circular bow and a long metal stem, parts of which were heavily rusted, looking more like a key fit for a fantasy tower than a mad scientist's lab.

Kid scrunched his noise at the state of it. "Even the key is in dire need of repair. Has this doctor never heard the term 'sanitation'?" the boy looked at Liz in good humor, expecting the weapon to make a snide remark and hopefully lifting the heavy mood which permeated this place. What he didn't expect was Liz staring wide eyed at the space behind him.

"Liz?"

"DUCK!"

Kid did as told, just in time to see a glass test-tube fly over his head and collide to the opposite wall. He turned just in time to see a scalpel held by a pale lab coat-wearing hand descending towards him, and rolled out of the way, using the metal table as a temporary cover.

"WATCH OUT!"

Cursing his luck, the Universe, and any forces that may govern it, Kid hurled the key at Liz's cage, hoping the mad scientist was preoccupied enough with trying to impale the male teen like a voodoo doll that he wouldn't notice the sisters' escape attempt. Kid rolled off another disembowelment attempt before scrambling on all four, then two and ran towards the nearest door.

Ignoring the lurching pain at his stomach and some bile rising up, Kid broke through the flimsy lock on the metal door and made his way up the stairs. A quick glance behind him confirmed that another person clad in white was after him. By the multitude of scalpels gleaming from his hands, he was more interested in turning the boy into a shish kebab than treating any injuries.

With his adrenaline off the charts, Kid raced up the stairway, tripping halfway up and colliding with the sharp steps. His stomach area gave another painful sting and it felt like something had been torn apart, but any and all of Kid's survival instincts were on override so he ignored the pain. With the help of the metal railing, Kid bolted up and dashed till the end of the staircase, making it up on the ground floor. Kid shut the door behind him, pulling all his strength and weight onto it, at least until he got a good look at his surroundings.

Normally, the boy would have a breakdown at how disorganized the various medical objects and Spartan furniture were, stitched-up asymmetrical walls included. However, half of Kid's mental faculties were too busy figuratively screaming in horror –including a variety of colorful language- at the madman chasing after him, while the other half was more preoccupied with finding a door and ignored the familiar backpack placed on the desk along a bulky desktop computer, his eyes landing on the much more useful exit.

And at that moment the door shook with considerable force, nearly knocking Kid off his feet, as a scalpel's end appeared from the other side of the door's frame.

With 3/4 of his mind now incomprehensibly screaming, the boy gave up on trying to keep the door shut and raced towards the exit. He was about to jump over a stitched-up couch when his abdominal muscles gave a sharp pang of pain and refused to operate, causing Kid to stumble over the furniture.

The boy forced himself upright, but then collapsed shortly after, clutching his stomach in pain and coughing up blood. As he brought his hand to rub the liquid away, the teen saw his fingers were already covered with the red substance. Kid looked down, only to see a rapidly expanding red spot forming on the previously pristine white sheet. After a bit more fumbling, the boy unwrapped the sheet from his frame to reveal his shirt was now covered with fresh blood from his stomach region.

"You broke your stitches," came a calm voice, as Kid looked behind him to see the mad scientist towering over the boy. Kid's hands clenched into fists, unsure of how to react.

"You did a shoddy job."

"To be honest, I'm partially at fault, your jumping around notwithstanding. I made them weak so they'd be easier to remove when I examine you."

Kid gulped, suppressing the bile that rose through his throat. One of his hands gripped the white sheet. "What do you want?" Despite the boy's calm exterior, inwardly he was as collected as a young woman in a 50's horror movie.

"Knowledge," the man nonchalantly asked. "But I'm guessing you're more interested in what I want to do with you?"

"It's as if you read my mind," the teen dryly responded, his wit the only thing that seemed to be fully functioning so far. The mad scientist, however, took the comment in with stride as his face split into a wide grin. Kid gripped his sheet harder.

"You're alive."

The boy stifled a drawn 'duh', realising that the last thing he wanted to do is be sassy at the unstable individual with pointy objects. Instead, he settled for a simple "Yes."

"That's pretty much why. Of course, you being alive should not be surprising, until one takes in account your condition…" The man glanced to the bloodied sheet wrapped around the teen's frame.

Kid felt a shiver ran up his spine. "I thought people can't 'die', can they?"

"Not in the classic sense."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let me dissect you and I'll give you the answer," the scientist said, taking a step forwards. "I'd also like you to tell me what happened when you woke up. Your soul-"

Kid had heard enough. With a swift movement he threw up the sheet at the doctor's direction and ran towards the exit. Kid kicked the door open, about to run off… and stopped.

There was no ground beyond the door. What stood below him was an arena size landfill filled with squirming shapes and the scent of decomposing flesh. The putrid sight extended across the horizon, the sun's dying rays making it look like an amorphous shifting black mass.

"What…?"

A slicing noise alerted Kid, and he turned around. The scientist had torn through the sheet, and was now looking at the boy with amused curiosity. "I hope this answers the question of where we are."

Indeed Kid knew. Though he'd only head it in passing and secretly hoping he'd never had to see it, Kid realized the scientist's laboratory was located next to the _Pit_. It was an unofficial name for the place, a nickname of sorts, for the wasteland to the south of New York's borders. The Pit was where bodies were dumped, supposedly of those whose souls had been eaten. However, the ones responsible for such a gruesome task were the caretakers, who more often than not, couldn't see souls and usually just dumped whatever immobile bodies they could find. This mean that there were actual living people there, 'alive' in a sense that their souls were intact, but their bodies had received immense damage. The place was like a grotesque graveyard, where the dead were piled upon one another.

Kid felt sick.

His thoughts were interrupted by the man behind him. "There's nowhere for you to go." The scientist said as he took a step forward. "Unless you want to join the rank of those below you."

The boy turned his gaze away from the wasteland and instead looked at the space behind the scientist. Where were Liz and Patty? Surely they must have gotten out of the cells-

"The sisters left long ago," the grey-haired man said. "You weren't partners for a long time, were you?"

Kid grip tightened on the doorframe. He shouldn't have expected anything more… the sisters did shoot him on sight.

The mad scientist took a step forward. Kid backed up until his heel dangled over the Pit.

"I promise I'll make the whole procedure painless. After all," his features contorted to an insane smile, "don't you want to discover this world's secrets?"

The boy didn't answer, lancing briefly behind him. Somehow, physics be damned, the mad scientist's lab was built right next to the Pit, the tall building either leaning precociously towards it, or the height skewed his perception. To fall to his 'death' or be a mad scientist's guinea pig; neither option was very enticing.

Oh well. At least one of these two options offered a small chance of escape, even if it meant more broken bones for Kid.

As if realizing the boy's intention, the scientist's eyes widened and he made a mad grab for Kid.

Too late. The teen was falling, beyond the madman's reach.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Everything hurt.

Which Kid should have expected after falling ten meters down into a monster-infested pit.

Well, sort-off. Grossness aside, he hoped the decomposing bodies would be soft enough to function like a cushion, albeit one made out of gore, and absorb some of the impact. Unfortunately, Kid had forgotten to include bones into the mix, which was the reason he had another long gash over his lower abdomen. As if the teen hadn't been impaled enough for one day.

Kid let out a pained moan, laying sprawled across the corpses. Merely existing was painful, much less standing up, or even attempting to. Eventually, the boy settled for the one thing he could do; scout the area and keep himself from throwing up at the putrid smell of decomposing bodies.

On his left, the land stretched until it reached sea, covered in piles and piles of corpses. In the distance, twisted and inhuman figures jumped in and out of sight, the occasional howls or screams made their way to Kid's ears. North and South of Kid were relatively the same, despite the boy's wishes of the opposite. Finally, after focusing his gaze away from the gory landscape, Kid looked to his right, the direction from where he'd fallen from.

A door.

The landscape on his right was dominated by a large wall which stretched out until the sea. A tower-like structure was embedded into the massive walls, but looked abandoned and in a state of disrepair. Most importantly though, there was a freaking _door_ built onto the tower. The tower whose tip was the mad scientist's lab.

Kid doubted there were enough curses in the English language that could sate his collective frustration. A sharp pang from his torn hip and devastated stomach only worsened the boy's mood.

Groaning and cursing, Kid forced himself to sit up, shifting his weight away from the hurt hip. Then, this time with hissing, but a considerable larger amount of cursing, the teen gingerly stood up, the simple gesture feeling like he'd just climbed the world's steepest cliff. The teen's posture was bent and his footing was unsteady. Most of the boy's weight was supported by his relatively less inured foot, but that made his balance all the more delicate.

Kid focused in his innate Soul Perception. At this point he might as well see if there was any relatively sane person close; if there wasn't, the boy had no energy to fight back and he might as well paint a symmetrical target on his back. Kid frowned as he sensed a soul approaching him relatively fast. The soul was red.

An inhuman scream behind him confirmed that a pre-Kishin had taken note of the Pit's new arrival and was making progress using every leg it had.

Well, shit. The boy eyed his surroundings, only to see that the only possible way he might put off his soul being eaten was seek refuge in the tower, where that dissecting maniac was. Kid could feel his mood lifted already.

The teen half-walked, half dragged himself towards the door. He nearly collapsed against the wall, but Kid focused his attention on the wooden entrance. Thankfully it had a doorknob, one you had to turn to open the door; a relatively simple locking mechanism, but it could help keep the pre-Kishin away. After all, these monsters were not known for their intellect.

Kid turned the knob, and almost half-collapsed as he made his way into the room, shutting the door behind him.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Many floors below, the two sisters ran their way through a seemingly endless spiral staircase. Liz was in the lead, holding Patty in a firm grip as they trailed down the steps.

"Lizzie where are we going?"

"The hell away from here!"

"But Kid's still there with the crazy guy!"

"So what?! He got us into this mess in the first place!"

"But sis, we agreed to team up!"

Liz turned to her sister.

"One time. We did our part and now the deal is off!"

"But _Lizzie_ …" Patty insisted, "he's a good person."

"So what, Patty?! Niceness isn't gonna help us, or him-"

"He cares about us, sis."

"What are ya talking about?" Liz snapped. "We barely know him, we were together for just one fight-"

"But he didn't use us as shields even if it mean he'd become a mummy!"

"Maybe he's slow or something."

"But he never let go! And he helped us escape from Dr. Nuts too!"

"He…" Liz paused, and stopped her descent. Patty was still clinging to her sister, and the older Thompson seemed to be fighting a mental battle in which her opponent was equipped with a machine gun, while the only thing she had was a butter knife.

"Damnit…" The sister muttered, turned around and stomped the path she came from. "Goddamned conscience, popping up when no one asked for her sorry ass…" she growled in frustration.

"Lizzie?"

"You win, Patty," the older sister said through clenched teeth. "We're going back to rescue the little brat."

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Any form of relief vanished when Kid stepped into the room. The inside looked much like another medical facility, only this one did its best to imitate Antarctica. Kid's irregular breaths came out as fog, and the teen shivered as the cold made it through his torn and blood soaked shirt. Kid wrapped his arms around his thin frame, careful not to disturb his sliced stomach or hip.

The boy took a deep breath, but quickly coughed, his nose wrinkling at the smell. It almost as bad as the Pit itself, a scent of decomposing flesh, mixed with faint traces of disinfectant. However, no bodies were in sight. The room was made up of a few movable mental counters, a swivel chair and a long metal table… Oh. That must have been the source of the smell.

On the table was a man. His stocky frame felt familiar, but with the skin long turned a deathly blue and cheeks hollowed in, Kid doubted he could properly identify the body. Yet there was something…

Kid's breath hitched. The soul. This man still had his soul.

The boy inched closer to the corpse. His gaze was focused on the light blue sphere, its colour similar to the souls of the other humans. Yet this was where their similarities ended. Whereas Maka's, Azusa's or Marie's souls pulsated according to their mood, this soul was immobile, standing inert and, well, lifeless. From what Kid could make out with his limited ability, the colour was a bit greyer than usual… Strange. Normally, he couldn't observe such things, his Soul Perception was not precise enough. Yet looking at this man's soul… it inherently drew Kid's attention, and the teen felt compelled to focus on the motionless sphere.

The boy took a few more steps forward, one of his hands reaching out towards the sphere. The Soul… Why did he feel responsible? Like there was something he was supposed to do with it. But Kid had no idea what to do. Certainly not eat it; the very though made his stomach turn.

Kid was now standing over the corpse. A brief look on the man's face revealed how he died, there was a hole in his cranium; his skull had been impaled. The body was also littered with bruises and wounds. The man had been in a fight. Considering Kid felt he'd seen this person recently, it must have been a recent conflict.

The Library. This man was at the Library, he was fighting at the hallway where the explosion was.

His wounds long forgotten, Kid's attention now revolved entirely around the soul, the boy captivated at the blue sphere. Kid gingerly touched the soul with his palm, fingers slowly wrapping around it, in fear he may somehow damage the orb if the boy was too abrupt. He hesitated, but the moment his palm touched the gaseous surface, a single ripple ran around the entire sphere.

' _Oh.'_

"…Hello?" Kid gave the soul a wide-eyes look. "…Did you just talk?"

' _I don't want to go.'_

Kid blinked in confusion. "…I'm not going anywhere." He felt a bit silly taking into thin air.

' _I'm not the kind of man who gives up.'_

"…Ok?"

' _I'm staying here.'_

Kid eyed the room. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. There are pre-Kishin and all sorts of soul eaters roaming around. This place is right next to the Pit, you know what that is right?" The teen got no response. "Can you even hear me?"

The soul remained immobile.

"Well…" Kid muttered to himself before speaking up. "I don't know if you can hear me. If you can, please don't freak out, but I'll be moving you to a safe location." He scrunched his face. "Not that I really know one, but you're no good being here unsupervised."

Kid pulled the soul towards him away from the body. He felt resistance.

Kid pulled again. The soul didn't move from its position.

The teen reached out with his other hand, pulling harder, only for the soul to not move an inch.

"Are you being stubborn? Please don't, this _isn't a good place to be_ …" Kid strained the last syllables as he put his whole weight -a measly 50 kilos- into pulling the soul away from the body.

Something white flashed at the leftmost corner of his eye. Kid felt the soul give in and slowly move from its position…

Something hard collided with his head. Kid lost his focus and tumbled to the floor, the soul leaving his grasp as the boy clutched his temple in pain.

"Hello."

Standing above him was the mad scientist, holding what could only be a sewage pipe.

Out of the hundreds of sarcastic remarks, frustrated curses, and an intense urge to rant about the man's asymmetry, Kid settled for a simple: "How?"

"I took the elevator."

" _Of course_."

"Did you get your hair dyed while I was gone?"

Kid didn't grace the comment with a response, using the wall as support to get to his feet.

"What were you doing?"

"Trying to avoid getting torn apart," Kid let out, his eyes darting around the room. Unfortunately, the only escape route seemed to be the door he had come from, where a small armada of wannabe-Kishins would tear him to shreds and eat his soul.

"By going back into my lab?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Did you get brain damage from the fall?"

"Even you are more preferable than having my soul eaten by a pre-Kishin." Out of the corner of his eye Kid noticed the corpse's finger twitch. What…?

"I feel _flattered_." The scientist's menacing tone caused Kid to refocus his attention on him. The man, still holding on to the pipe was approaching him slowly. "Does that mean I get your consent for the dissection?"

"To be honest, I'd prefer a cup of tea and a proper set of stitches." Kid slowly moved away from the man, always leaning on the wall. He felt his wounds flair up, and was faintly reminded of Stein's previous enthusiasm about Kid being able to 'walk around' in such a state. Kid would share that enthusiasm if he had the strength to punch said man in the face with enough force to knock him –and hopefully a few teeth- out.

"Don't daydream. Even if you did have the strength to punch me, you'd have to hit me in the first place." Stein gave the boy a patronising smile. "And no, I'm not a mind reader. It's a wonder the information one's soul can give away," the scientist explained upon seeing Kid's confused frown.

Kid's back made contact with the doorknob of the main exit, and the boy gulped as his chances of escape were reduced to decimal digits. At this point, any chance he could get to distract the man could yield him a one-time chance of getting out of this hellhole. "You can use Soul Perception?"

"…You're looking for a way out." The man took a long puff from his cigarrete and hoisted the pipe on his shoulder. "I'll indulge, as you are genuinely curious. Yes, I can perform Soul Perception. In fact, I believe I'm one of its most proficient users." He gave the boy an amused smile. "It's fascinating really, if you think about it. Its colour, particular hue, design and even slight movement are the atlas of a person, just waiting to be read."

Kid didn't answer, his eyes darting around the room. There wasn't anything he could use. Unless he went out again… maybe he could lure one of the pre-Kishins into attacking the madman.

"Using me as bait would require you being able to actually run than stumble your way out." The scientist immediately said, a habit which was starting to annoy Kid. "Instead, let's talk. You asked me about Soul Perception. I'm guessing you're familiar with it too?"

At this point Kid didn't have much of a choice than talk. "Yes. Through from your words, mine is severely limited compared to yours."

"Interesting. You know, there are not many people who can use it. Even less are those that can activate it in the first place. Which group do you belong to?"

Kid threw the man a puzzled look. "I've never had a problem activating it… it's quite the opposite. I can't get it to go off."

The scientist looked genuinely intrigued, briefly letting his guard down. There was Kid's chance and the boy made a run for it…

Which immediately failed, as his cramped legs gave up in protest and the boy fell sideways onto the table with the corpse. He writhed, hands and legs trying in vain to lift his body. The other man's frame now had become bigger and Kid could see the sinister shine reflecting in his glasses. The boy coughed up blood which landed on the corpse's already torn and bloody shirt. His airway was blocked again and Kid threw up more blood. His strength had failed him, it failed like every inch of resolve he had fading away.

And there was the human with the screw towering above him, his soul filled with joy like he won some sort of game, unperturbed the corpses surrounding him, them, acting like he owned the place, and Kid felt a deep revulsion, felt the need to throw up.

"Now then, let's not make this difficult for the both of us. "

Kid saw the sick grin and managed to give one last defiant glare. His hands were too heavy to move, his legs unresponsive. He could barely breathe properly, in fact he assumed the only reason Kid was still 'alive' was because of his faintly beating heart, the gap between beats increasing more and more and more…

The ground below the teen shifted. Kid's heartbeat became more erratic and his vision blurred even more, only the faint soul's light remaining clear.

"Behave and you may make it out alive."

The boy felt the last moving muscle in him come to a halt and then he was sinking, his sight fading into black… And then his vision suddenly cleared, revealing the grey haired man in a stitched up lab coat, worst of all the stitches were _asymmetrical_ -

" _Go die_."

The ground shifted and a bloody hand from below Kid grabbed the scientist's wrist. The corpse of the man now stood up, his stocky frame imposing over the scientist's lanky one, the gery-haired man's eyes wide in what could only be described as shock.

"Sid-?"

The dead man punched the other adult in the face, knocking him against the wall. The corpse approached the man, grabbing a discarded metal pipe and bringing it over his head…

The scientist dodged just in time as the pipe collided against the wall, a crack forming along its surface. A similar pattern continued, until the corpse's movement became more sluggish. Finally, the undead man seemed to come to a brief halt, which the grey-haired man took to his full advantage, landing a blow to the corpse's solar plexus, followed by a hit on the neck.

The corpse collapsed and Stein, any sort of humour or amusement gone from his face, took a few steady steps towards the near unconscious Kid

And stopped when a pink bullet to whiz past his hair.

Both scientist and teen turned around to see the elder Thompson clutching her sister's weapon form, and point it directly at Stein's head. Strangely she seemed to be panting.

" _Back the fuck off_."

"Yeah!" Patty's triumphant voice came from the gun. "Kid's our booty!"

Liz's face stretched into a menacing smirk. "That's right, screw-man. You'll rue the day you dared to mess with the Thompson sisters!" Liz then let out a menacing chuckle which she thought was appropriate for the occasion. Helping others or not, she still was one of the Devils of Brooklyn and she would rue the day she came off as timid, or even worse, weak.

Said string of laughter was cut short as Stein fell forward, his unconscious body hitting the floor.

Kid looked at the fallen man and then at the sisters while Liz blinked in confusion. That'd be the first time one had fainted form their auras alone. "…We…. got him…?"

The younger sister transformed to human form and poked the unconscious man. "Did he die?"

Liz's pose relaxed, as the elder gingerly sat down, clutching her side. " _So many fucking stairs. Had to climb them twice for your pale ass, so you'd better be thankful-_ "

Liz felt a pinch on her arm. Next to her, Patty let out a small yelp as Kid slapped his neck.

"What the-oh, _shit…_ " Liz voice trailed off, as the teen wobbled in place, eyes half-lidded until she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

A tranquiliser dart was embedded at her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've lost count how many times the characters have fainted. I fear this may become a trend XD


	7. An Unwanted Road Trip through Memory Lane

The ground was shaking. That was the first thing Kid noticed as he came to his senses, sprawled out in a tight confined space.

The boy groggily opened his eyes to see a wall of grey in front of him. Further inspection revealed that he was inside of a vehicle, specifically a van. It wasn’t anything spectacular; Kid could faintly make out four metal walls surrounding him, and he was lying on the rough brown floor of the van. What little light there was came from the front, as the back windows were taped blocking any view of the outside world. Also he could make out two more figures sprawled across in the back, both feminine in shape.

It was at this point Kid’s brain completed the reboot and the boy recalled the events of the past day: pairing up with the sisters, the homicidal black-blooded teen, the dissection-happy mad scientist, and the exciting finale which was him dropping unconscious like a rock. _Again_.

Judging by the fact he was not strapped to an operating table, and having all his limbs still attached, a third party must have knocked the scientist out, then him and the sisters. Question was the identity of that third party, their motives, and where the hell they were going. Also an explanation on what deity Kid had angered for his life to go so south so fast would be more than appreciated.

The teen shifted, finding his hands and legs tied up. He clicked his tongue in frustration. Should have expected that.

Still… Kid wiggled his hands at the knot. The ropes were thick and bulky compared to his skinny wrists; the knot was tight, but with some skill and lots of wiggling he could potentially escape the bonds…. or he could just try and see if he could rip the ropes right off, subtleness and grace be damned. Too done to deal with this surreal adventure the last day had been, it was no surprise Kid was more inclined to pick option two.

But then, the logical and calm part of Kid’s mind who was usually in control, major exception being symmetry, gently reminded him that though breaking the rope all Rambo-style would be the quickest method, the snapping noise would surely attract the attention of the driver.

Kid’s ‘done-with-this-mockery’ side calmly explained that the boy could move in and restrain the driver before the unknown party was able to restrain him.

Part Logic argued that’d be reckless and dangerous.

Side B replied that couldn’t be worse than jumping into the Pit.

At which point part logic threw its hands in the air in defeat and complained the metaphor had dragged on for too long.

Mind made up, Kid quietly made his way behind the driver’s seat. Thankfully, the van did not have a protective wall between the seat and the back of the vehicle; whether that was due to oversight or overconfidence, Kid cared not.

The teen’s hands shifted against the rope and shoulders tensed, as he did a few experimental pulls to test the strength of the rope. The boy took a deep breath, crouched under the seat and forced his arms apart.

The ropes broke with a loud snap. Immediately, Kid’s right hand wrapped around the driver’s neck as his other smashed the window next to the man. Ignoring the pain that came from the glass scratching his skin, Kid pulled free a considerably large shard of glass and brought it at the driver’s neck.

“Stop the car.”

Though the driver’s frame tensed, the car only veered slightly before coming to a halt.

And it was at this point that Kid realized said driver was the caretaker he’d shot in the leg, who was also the stocky man with the weird soul he and Maka had fought at the Library. Had this happened a few hours ago when Kid’s ’ _what-a-twist_ ’ standards were much lower, the boy might have had a more extreme reaction; now he settled for a scowl.

“Don’t move. Who are you?”

The mysterious man tried turning his neck to face Kid but the boy pressed the glass tighter at his throat, careful enough not to draw blood. Yet…

Message clearly received, the man stopped his ambitious neck movements and settled for: “You’re a weird one. I can’t tell a thing about you. That Soul Protect you’re using is a pretty high level technique-”

But Kid was having none of that filler. “Alright, let me be clear. The last few days have been _very stressful_ and I want some answers, so _start_ _talking before I rip them out of your throat_.”

“What? Got your panties in a twist, kid?”

“Stop derailing the subject. Who are you?”

The man sighed in defeat. “I’m Joe.”

Kid raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

“Yup. Just your average Joe-”

“Stop fooling around.” The teen pressed the shard of glass again for emphasis. “Who are you, for whom do you work for, and just where the hell are we going?!”

“Easy there, kiddo, too many questions.” The teen felt the man gulp in discomfort. “To be honest I thought you’d be out for at least an hour. You immune to anesthetic?”

“Stick to the topic! do you work for? I saw you working for Medusa and…” the boy paused, “…The Weapon-Meister Organization!” Kid exclaimed, cursing his lack of knowledge of said organization’s name.

“Weapon-Meister…? You mean the Academy?” Joe let out a chuckle, which could have been due to nervousness or aimed at the teen’s awkward terminology. “Yeah, I work for them.”

“And for the witch Medusa as a caretaker.”

“That was my cover. They have very low standards. Just pretend you’re all brawn and no brain, and you’re in.”

“So you’re a spy?”

“What? Did you expect a lanky slimy dude?” Joe huffed. “Sorry to disappoint, buddy. We come in all shapes and sizes.”

Kid couldn’t tell if it was the adult’s calm tone, or the hidden mockery behind his words that frustrated him more. “What do you want with me or the sisters? Why did you kidnap us?”

The man grimaced. “…I wouldn’t call it kidnapping.”

“No, just forceful relocation,” the teen drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Why?”

Joe hesitated, “well… I have my reasons.”

“Was it orders? To get to Azusa and Marie?”

“Azusa and Marie- wait you know these two?!”

Upon hearing Joe’s surprised tone, Kid realized his blunder a little too late.

“And they’re your-which one’s your mom? Is it Azusa-?”

Kid tried to shake Joe in a not-so-subtle way to change the subject. Key word being tried, as the boy found out the man’s impressive frame was not just for show. “That’s not important. Where were you going?”

“…To the Academy.”

“Why? Why take us as well?”

“Several reasons.”

“Orders?”

“Nope. Just independent thinking. Gotta think on your feet, if you want to be a good spy.”

Kid applied more pressure to the man’s neck.

“But I’m guessing you don’t care about that.”

“No, keep derailing the subject, see how well it’ll work out for you.”

“I got the sisters ‘cause they’re Weapons. General orders are to recruit as many as possible,” Joe quickly explained. “You’re… a different story.”

“Go on.”

“First I searched after you because you and some other girl got the book. Did you know how important those pieces of paper are?”

“I do now.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Joe huffed. “Anyways, I had assumed the role of a caretaker to get access to the Library and the event’s schedule. Then you and that other girl blew the whole thing up, and I thought I had to scour the entire city to find you...” He assumed a tight-lipped smile. “I imagine my surprise when the witch Medusa told me to get a Weapon and gave me their location. The cherry on the cake was walking in and seeing you having a panic attack.” The man sighed. “But then you three teamed up, I got shot in the leg and lost you again.”

“How did you find us then? Are in cahoots with that basket-case of a scientist?”

“Soul Perception.”

This was not an answer Kid expected, and his words made it all the more obvious. “You can do it too?”

“Sure can,” Joe replied in a nonchalant tone. “Gotta say this’d be a lovely conversation, if you didn’t threaten me right now, buddy.”

“I wouldn’t, if you hadn’t kidnapped me.”

“Touché.” Joe shrugged slowly. “As I was saying, I used my Soul Perception to track your soul. You fought with Medusa’s child, didn’t you?”

“What does this have to do with anything?”

“…Did something happen to you? For a few hours your soul was flickering.”

Kid’s hold on Joe weakened. “…Flickering?”

“I’d never sensed such a thing. Pretty weird stuff…” the man’s voice trailed off. “I followed you based on what I could sense. When Stein showed up, I hid and waited for my chance… Before I knocked you out your soul got really weird, pal. I overheard Stein saying you died, and for a moment I believed it. Your soul had faded. But then…” he paused at a loss of words. “You used Soul Protect before I got a good look. What did you do?”

Kid had to swallow his own dread, as he heard Joe’s tale. The boy’s recollection of the events at the lab was hazed by fatigue and anesthetics.

“Anyways, because of your shenanigans and that that you managed to surprise me and knock me out in the beginning, I thought you could be an asset, if not, then contain you.”

“Contain me?”

“You’d be a handful if you turned to a Kishin-“

Joe didn’t even get to finish his sentence, as he was interrupted by a low growl. “A _Kishin_?! Why would I want to be like these disgusting asymmetrical soul-eating monsters?!”

“Whoa-”

“I’d much rather be impaled again before falling to the level of a desperate coward-!”

“You don’t like Kishin much, do ya?”

“Of course I don’t! Who does?”

“Some worship them-”

“They’re idiots,” Kid cut Joe off. “As if eating souls would help fill the void of their empty and pitiful existence… they’re glorified cowards, unable to rely on their own, so they feed parasitically on souls… Disgusting.” Kid shook his head, getting his priorities back in order. “But that’s not important right now. Take us back”

“What?” From his tone, Joe did not expect such a request. “Back to the city? Why the heck would you want to go back to that place?”

“Gee, I wonder why? Maybe because that’s my home?!”

“No can do.”

Kid growled.

“I’m not trying to mess with you, kid!” Joe slowly brought his hands up in a calming gesture. “Think about it. You caught Medusa’s interest. This never ends well for the other party. The only reason you managed to escape was because of that perfectly timed attack-”

“You orchestrated that as well?”

“Nah, you’re overestimating my abilities. It was very lucky though…” Joe trailed off. “But back to our point. You managed to evade Medusa once, but don’t expect to be able to escape a second time, especially if you’ll keep living in the same city she’s in. She’ll find you. Apart from her own resources, her sister is the head of the Kishin Council! I give you max one week before you end up as one of her test subjects.” Joe felt Kid’s grip falter, but it was too brief for the man to escape. Maybe if he kept up this line of conversation… “No, your best bet is getting as far away from her as possible. It’s the safest option for the people you care about too.”

“This doesn’t make sense.”

“Gotta think from the enemy’s perspective. Even if she did get a hold of your folk, they aren’t interesting to her, and if-when she finds out you’ve left the city, they’ll be useless to her.”

“Except my folk are Marie and Azusa! They’re already in danger!”

“But they’re Deathscythes.”

“What now?” Kid repeated in confusion. Marie had called Azusa and herself that the night that Nigus woman showed up on their doorstep.

“You don’t-” Joe cut himself off, letting out an amused sigh. “There’s a lot they haven’t told you, right?”

“Not important right now. Get me back.”

“Well…” Joe muttered. “That may not be easy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at the fuel meter, pal.” Joe craned his neck slowly, so Kid could see the indicator behind the wheel. The needle was below the middle point. “The gas tank is below half-empty. I started with a full tank. Even if I did turn back, we’d ran out of gas way before we reached the city.”

“We can’t be that far.”

“Care to try it out? Don’t blame me if we get stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

“Can’t you buy gas?”

“Don’t have any money. Feel free to check my pockets. And I take it neither you nor the sisters are carrying cash.”

“Wait,” Kid frowned in thought. Something about this man’s story didn’t add up. “If your tank is half-full… how did you plan to go all the way to the Academy? I find it unlikely it’s in such close proximity to the Kishin Council.”

“Good thinking. However, I planned a route before I even got to the city.”

“What’s that?”

“Well…”

Kid applied pressure.

“There’s… a branch waiting for me in one of the nearby towns. Plan is to… use a moving truck to hide and cross the border.”

“Dammit,” the teen muttered to himself.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

It was many kilometers away, back to the outskirts of the convoluted concrete jungle known as New York City that Dr. Frank N. Stein regained consciousness. The ‘mad’ doctor found himself on the top of his tower, on the one room that could be characterized as living quarters. He was sprawled on the old patched-up green sofa which doubled as a bed whenever he did not fall asleep on his desk, or any other unconventional part of his ‘adobe’. That was unexpected.

What was more unexpected was finding himself surrounded by a couple of people, most of them familiar.

“Hello,” the scientist flippantly announced, as he brought himself up. His lab coat had been taken off, and he was in his stitched up turtleneck and work dress pants. Stein’s gaze immediately went to the most familiar person in the room, a red haired man with two teenagers in tow.

The redhead gave him an unimpressed look. “So, you’re awake.”

“Spirit. Haven’t seen you for such a long time.”

“You know him?” Stein heard the young girl behind Spirit mutter. She had blonde hair, green eyes, and an uncanny resemblance to a woman Stein knew many years ago.

“She’s your daughter?” The girl gave the scientist a surprised look, to which he responded with a nonchalant shrug. “You look just like your mother”

“Now’s not the time to reminisce Stein,” came a strict voice to his left.

“Yumi?” The scientist adopted a mocking smirk, as he turned his head to face the woman. “I’d recognise your overbearing soul anytime.”

The Asian woman gave him a scowl. “And I see you’re as unkempt as always.”

The scientist looked at the last unidentified occupant of the room. An albino boy, standing awkwardly between Spirit and his daughter. “You’re a Weapon.”

The boy nearly yelped in surprise. “How the hell do you know that?!”

“Soul Perception,” Spirit sighed. “Stein there is pretty good at it. He can tell everything about a person when using it.” The redhead shivered. “It’s creepy.”

“I feel humbled,” Stein joked, as he looked around the room. “How did I end up here?”

“I carried you,” Sid crossed his arms. “I didn’t know what’s going on, still don’t, so I called up Naigus on my radio. Thank goodness she’d teamed up with three Deathscythes, am I right?” the man said in a light tone at the other two adults.

Spirit’s looked away and Azusa’s scowl deepened.

“Sid,” Stein brought up a hand to his temple. “So I didn’t hallucinate you coming back to life.”

The undead man opened his mouth but quickly closed it. He frowned in a mix of confusion and worry. “Yeah… Do you know what’s going on?”

“I have my theories. Are we expecting other people?”

“Marie will be here with Naigus in a moment,” Azusa informed him. “When the house collapsed she didn’t manage to leave in time, but thankfully we got to her quickly.”

“A house collapsed? Just what have you been up to?”

“We could ask you the same, Stein,” Spirit spoke up. “We thought you were dead. I should have expected you wouldn’t go down easy, but don’t you think the whole ‘mad scientist’ lair is a bit much?”

“What can I say?” The doctor shrugged. “Had to keep up appearances.”

Spirit simply frowned at the man, seemingly not trusting his words. Stein shrugged. Several pair of footsteps from outside the room halted the mini-standoff, as four new people entered the room. Stein recognised Marie, and remembered Naigus faintly, but he had no idea who the other teens were. Both of them were Asian, and the boy had a star-shaped tattoo on his shoulder, while the girl was clad in black loose ninja outfit, commonly used by one of the most renowned Weapon families….

“Oh my god…” The first to talk was the bandaged woman, her one visible eye widening in disbelief. “Sid?!”

Naigus ran up to the man, grabbing both his shoulders in shock, eventually enveloping him a tight hug. “I thought your soul was eaten!”

“Why the hell are you blue?”

“Black*Star!” The older teen exclaimed, still not used to her Meister’s bluntness. It also confirmed the scientist’s suspicions about the boy’s origin.

“So you are one a member of the star clan.”

“Not exactly,” Azusa quickly spoke up. “Long story, will explain later.”

“Oh, well,” Stein conceded. “Also, the blue colour is due to a lack of blood coursing along his body, thus giving his skin a more bluish hue-”

“Wait, what?!”

“Mira…” the stocky man lamented. “I’m not the kind of man I used to be…”

The Egyptian woman threw her hands up in exasperation. “What are you even talking about?! Ok, you’re a bit blue, but you’re up, talking, breathing and living!”

“Last two were incorrect,” Stein interrupted the woman. “See, Sid’s body is technically dead.”

“But his soul-!”

“Still attached.” At times like these, Stein felt the need for a cigarette. “The explanation is a bit complicated.” On cue with Naigus’ narrowed eye, the scientist continued his talk. “Normally, when people would die, their souls would pass on and their body, having lost its function would decay… The two processes occurred simultaneously, as the body supports a soul and vice versa. However, ever since…” he paused briefly, “fifteen years ago, that process was altered. What happens now is that the soul cannot pass on, meaning people don’t really ‘die’. Instead, when their body stops functioning the soul remains attached to the decaying flesh, until it gets eaten.” Stein motioned at the undead man. “What’s going on with Sid is unique. His body did ‘die’. However, it started working _again._ ”

Naigus frowned at his words. “Is that even possible?”

“First time I see it happening. There have been reports of people with damaged bodies walking around, but their bodies never stopped working entirely.”

“So…” Sid’s face was blank. “It’s like I came back to life?”

“In terms of the body, yes.” Stein gave them a wide smile. “I remember reading an old story once, and these people were referred to as zombies.”

“But how did it happen?” Azusa asked the two men. The scientist’s explanation did nothing more than describe the phenomenon, but not what caused it.

Stein shrugged his shoulders, while Sid’s frown deepened.

“I don’t remember much. But there is one thing. First thing I saw after ‘coming back’ or whatever happened…”

Everyone caught their breath.

“Was your kid, Azusa and Marie, looking down at me.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A long distance away from the unorthodox gathering, Kid found himself wanting to sneeze. He quickly suppressed the feeling.

The next minutes in the car passed in silence. Joe seemed surprisingly calm for someone with glass pressed to his neck, while Kid was racking his brain to find a solution for the lacking-fuel conundrum in vain.

A short static beep came from the radio. It paused, then the sound returned again. And again. And again.

“I’m being called,” Joe said, calmly. “…I have to take this, you know”

“Do you now?” Kid demanded, eyeing the radio device.

“Yup. Need to check in, or they’ll send people over. How do you fare against a group of highly skilled Meisters?”

Kid grip loosened. “Take it. But if you say anything…”

“I know, I know. So stereotypical, there’s no originality in the youth nowadays…” the man muttered in disappointment, before taking hold of a walkie-talkie-like device. “This is Joe, calling in.”

“ _Evening. Everything alright?_ ” came a gruff female voice from the radio belonging to an older woman.

“Yup, just peachy. The coffee sucks though…”

A small pause. _“…Does it?_ ”

“Yup. Got one from downtown; too little time to brew.”

“ _Don’t worry, I heard Uncle Bob’s reopening again._ ”

“Really?! Save me a cup, would ya Auntie?”

_“Just get here in time, Joe. Over.”_

“See ya soon, over,” the man said and closed the connection.

Kid gave him a look.

“What? Can I not talk about coffee now?”

Kid ignored the snarky comment, his attention faltering to the shifting sounds coming from behind the two.

Liz and Patty were waking up.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Kid?! You saw him-!?”

“Oh, thank goodness! Is he ok? Where is he now, did something happen to him-?“

“Wait,” Spirit caught the two women off. “Sid, mind giving more details? And don’t be so dramatic, we need to be rational about this.”

“I wasn’t the kind of man, who lies, Spirit. Honest to God, Death, whatever, my memories cut off from the Library, a huge statue coming my way. Then… I got this feeling of talking with someone like I’m in a dream. After that, first thing I remember is a bloody pale… something looming over me, looking exactly like your kid!”

“What do you mean? Was Kid bleeding-?!”

“Do you remember anything else about the boy?” Stein asked, ignoring Marie’s indignant protest.

“Uh…” Sid scratched his head. “Their voice sounded weird? Kinda compelling…”

“Why did you attack me?”

“Oh that! Uh… don’t really know how to explain this. I felt I was in a dream, not in full control of my actions. Whatever it was, it was _pissed off_ at you, Stein. Does that make sense?”

“Woah, hold the phone now, both of you!” Spirit cut the two off. “What the hell happened? Why was Kid with you, how did he end up here, and he was _angry_ _at you_ , Stein?”

“Long story,” at this, the three Deathscythes were ready to protest, but Stein’s next remark cut them off. “Has your kid been eating souls?”

“ _What_?!” Marie and Azusa looked decidedly pissed.

“Only way to explain this mess. And don’t feel guilty about not noticing, I’ve observed the after-effects take quite some time to manifest-”

“That’s wrong!” Maka spoke up. Stein gave her an inquisitive look (i.e. mildly threatening), but the girl stood her ground, minor shiver notwithstanding. “Kid would never do something like that. We’ve known each other for all our lives, and he’d always react to eating souls with revulsion!”

“Your point?”

“My point being that whatever happened with Kid if it even was him, since this is all wild mass guessing, couldn’t have been because of Kid eating souls! He’d never do that, and I have no reason to believe he’d start now!”

“Then how would you explain what happened?”

“Well,” Maka hesitated. “There’s a lot we don’t know. Jumping to conclusions won’t do us any good, especially we don’t have Kid here to tell us his side of a story. Besides, Kid was always kinda strange… Not in a bad way!” she immediately said. “Like, he is very good with using Soul Perception, even if it’s ‘foggy’, and he’s surprisingly strong.”

“Maka’s right,” Marie said. “Me and Azusa took care of Kid since he was but a baby. We _know_ him, and the last thing he’d do is eat souls.”

“Could…” Naigus said, her voice carefully neutral. “Could this be magic? Maybe Kid is a necromancer witch?”

“No.” Azusa relied, arms crossed. “Kid has never shown any signs of magic.”

“Are you sure? There was nothing…” Mira hesitated, “…out of the ordinary?”

Marie shot a quick worried look at Azusa, who looked away and frowned.

“There have been little things…” Marie quietly admitted.

“It could be a family thing though.” Azusa sighed. “We don’t really know.”

Naigus gave the woman a long look, and rubbed her brow. “Well at this point, it helps if you take things from the beginning. How did you find Kid?”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

The battle was over. They had lost.

Azusa was in the Nevada dessert, fifteen years ago. What was once an oddly beautiful land in its harmonious quiet scenery was now a ravaged battlefield, fresh with the stench of destruction. The sky was filled with grey smoke, skies long turned red in the battle of deities that ensued, no matter how short it was. The craters were filled with bodies, human and not. Blood pooled in shallow puddles, running through the dips and forming a grotesque network of rivulets, like a spider’s net. The buildings, which once stood on the area, proud displays of the vicious fort-city, now lay scattered in a state of slow collapse.

It was near one of the almost collapsed walls that Azusa regained her senses. Her head was throbbing, glasses long gone. She could feel liquid running down her temple, probably blood. The brunette let out a pained moan, as she forced herself upright, gingerly holding her ribs. Judging from the swelling, she had probably broken few. Her Meister was also sprawled on the field a few meters away from her… they’d lost something more important than ribs.

Azusa’s stomach lurched, as she laid eyes on the form of her Meister… or what was left of them. The woman felt bile rise up her throat. Even though blurred vision she could make out the clothes, the style among a cover of blood… Her broken rib made it hard to breathe.

Azusa’s willpower caved, and the woman collapsed back into the pile.

They’d failed. They’d been utterly and soundly defeated. She had witnessed it too, as the dark blob supposed to represent their biggest hope burst like a grotesque party popper, dissolving along with her hopes and faith.

Maybe this wasn’t so bad, Azusa mused, as she stood motionless on the pile, a stench of decomposing bodies surrounding her. After all they, or at least she, had tried as far as they could. It didn’t matter that it didn’t work. ‘Fight till the end’ that was the motto, right? The motto her Meister had. Maybe Azusa would as well…

A baby’s cry.

Azusa was abruptly pulled from her grim thoughts and focused on the sounds in confusion.

That was definitely a baby’s cry. How…?

With renewed efforts the woman managed to lift herself up and then on her own two feet. She wobbled at the beginning, the muscles too overworked and fatigued to the point of collapse. Using a nearby wooden pole from the fallen fort, Azusa limped towards the sound of the noise, careful not to trip on any bodies.

It was at the base of another mountain of corpses that Azusa detected movement. She inched her way closer.

It really was a child, a baby to be exact. Skinny, sickly, and accidentally wrapped in one of the remains of her God, it didn’t fit the image of a year old baby.

Azusa took a tentative step towards it.

The baby, as if sensing her, locked eyes with the woman. The woman was surprised at how hazed the two golden orbs looked, almost as haunted as hers.

The baby let out another scared wail, and retreated further into itself, in a fetal fashion. One of its hands tried to clumsily cover its head, briefly obstructing the bloodstained black tuft of hair from view.

At that exact moment Azusa made her mind. Taking a few more determined, though bit wobbly, steps she gingerly knelt down next to the baby, and picked it up as gently as she could.

This wasn’t helped by the baby struggling in her hold, resulting in her almost dropping him.

“Come on, I’m trying to help,” the woman muttered more to herself, as she was sure the baby couldn’t understand her.

To her surprise, most of the trashing subsided, though there was the occasional fiddle.

Azusa tried her best to find a way to hold the child which was comfortable to it and her pained arm. Eventually, she settled for laying it sideways along her forearm like a cradle. Along the way Azusa wrapped the black fabric-like remains around the baby in a way she had seen Spirit do with Maka, in which she found out the baby was a boy. Also, thanks to Azusa’s inexperience, the baby boy now resembled a burrito.

“Azusa?” A familiar blonde woman appeared from the wreckage. Her hair covered one of her eyes, and from what little she could make, a thin trail of blood was running down her cheek.

“You’re alive…” The woman’s defeated expression switched to one of pure joy, and moisture began gathering at her eyes. “I’m so glad,” the Scandinavian woman said rubbing her one visible eye, “I thought everyone…” She paused upon noticing the small bundle the Asian woman was carrying.

“Is that…?”

“It’s a child,” Azusa stated, shifting Kid so Marie could get a look at the baby’s face. “I found it here but-”

Marie however, seemed less interested in the baby’s backstory and threw a scandalized look at Azusa. “Why is it wrapped like that-Do you want to suffocate the baby?! It’s a human being, not a tortilla!”

The taller woman looked at Marie in embarrassment. “I don’t know how to care of a baby!” Her gaze drifted to said child, who was now watching the two women with a blank expression.

“It’s not that hard…”The blonde let out a sigh, and put her hands on her shoulders. “Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Can I hold the baby?”

“Why are you asking me? He’s not mine!”

And Marie completely ignored her. “Ah so it’s a boy! Hi there, cutie~”

Azusa now looked decidedly uncomfortable at the other woman, who was now making cooing sounds at the child. Having the blonde woman as a classmate for many years, she knew better than to try arguing with her in vain. “There you go,” she handed the child to Marie. “Go nuts.”

Judging by the exponential increase in cooing sounds coming from Marie as she spoke in baby talk to the child, it looked like she followed Azusa’s advice to a T. Well, not entirely. The first thing Marie did was skillfully disentangle the baby from Azusa’s accidental prison, and wrapping the dark fabric with such grace only experience could yield.

“You’ve done this before.”

The blonde nodded. “I’ve told you about my brothers and sisters, haven’t I? I was the eldest, so I took care of them whenever my parents couldn’t.” She held up the baby, who let out a giggle. “Aw, he’s adorable!” A tiny hand reached out from the cover, and Marie practically squealed. “ _What is it, big boy_?” she crooned, in full baby talk mode, as the tiny hand grabbed a lock of hair. “ _You like my hair?_ ”

The baby _pulled_.

“Ow!” Marie exclaimed, as she hastily grabbed hold of her lock and disentangled it from the baby’s vice-like grip. “Well, you sure are strong…” she muttered, rubbing the hurt spot in her cranium. The baby let out another giggle and Marie was back on mother-mode.

Meanwhile, Azusa was watching awkwardly from the side. It was surreal, the two women and child were surrounded by Death, yet the two gleefully enjoyed the macabre scenery in favor of playing with one another.

“Marie.”

The woman stopped her playtime with the baby. “Something wrong?”

“We need to get out of here.”

“Eh?” As if a magic spelled had been lifted, Marie became aware of the scenery around them. “Oh, right.” She took in Azusa’s form. “We need to find you a doctor too. You don’t look very well…”

“I’ll live. What about you?” She motioned at Marie’s obscured eye. “Is it…?”

The blonde hesitated, looking away from Azusa. Silence fell between the two. Eventually, the baby shifted in Marie’s grip, and as she hoisted it on her lap, the Scandinavian woman gave Azusa a rueful smile. “3D vision was overrated anyways.”

“Marie…”

“It’s fine, I patched it up as much as I could.” The blonde sighed. “The wound was pretty deep so I unless we find a way to magically regrow eyes, I’d better get used to having one, right?” Marie said in good humor, ignoring the other woman’s disbelieving expression.

“No.” Azusa adopted a determined scowl. “We’ll find you a doctor too.”

“Azusa-”

“No buts,” the Asian woman insisted. “There’s no telling what could happen if you caught an infection. You’re coming with me, and that’s final.”

“Sir, yes, sir…” Marie remarked, giving her a mocking salute. “Not that I’d leave you in the first place.” She gestured to the baby. “We got a child to raise.”

“What?!”

“We can’t just leave him here-”

“Yes, but…!”

“Ah-ah-ah!” Marie interrupted. “My turn to order you around. First, we find a doctor and then I teach you how to change diapers.”

Azusa found herself unable to disagree. “…Ok…”

“Great! Onwards then!” Then Marie began humming the Norwegian version of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ to the child, and Azusa figured that any life was better than no life, as this unconventional family slowly walked away from the remnants of the bloody battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta’d by Sakura23165!  
> Sorry for the delay, this chapter is longer than normal at almost 6000 words! Hope you like it!  
> Buttataki was surprisingly enjoyable to write. I imagine him deceiving opponents with his massive frame, giving them the impression he’s mostly brawn and some brain, but actually is a master at being subtle and a skilful when it comes to verbal manipulation. Also, baby burrito Kid xD  
> Next chapter will be up one week (to account for the delay) from now.


	8. How Not To Make Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! Things happened and I’m now employed. Ayyy, I’m being a semi-productive member of society! But in other news there’s an Undertale fic if you’re… interested. Also, next chapter of an Unorthodox Alliance should be up soon. Had a bit of a writer’s block on that one -.-  
> Thanks to Sakura23165 for beta'ing the chapter!

“Welcome back to the world of the living, Elizabeth,” Kid greeted the groaning sister in a semi-serious tone.

“It’s Liz, you brat,” the older Thompson mumbled, as she rubbed her head. “Ugh, feels like I got spiked or something.” She ran her hand along her face, as if trying to swipe the sleepiness off. Next to her, Patty was also slowly coming back to consciousness, though at a slower rate than her sister.

When Liz was more or less fully conscious, she took in the small cramped van they were in and raised her eyebrow at Kid’s chokehold. “The fuck? Not that I don’t approve, but why are you about to slice this guy’s neck…?” Her voice trailed off, as she took in the familiar outline of the man. Though he wore a different outfit and even held himself differently, his stocky frame and blonde buzz-cut hair were familiar to the Weapon.

Liz’s eyes widened. “Oh shit.” That guy was one of the caretakers the three teens had taken out when they’d first agreed to work together. The guy worked for Medusa. “Actually, you know what, go ahead and slice his neck right off.”

“Hey,” the stocky man pouted. “That’s uncalled for.”

“Fuck off, you shouldn’t have picked Medusa as your boss, jackass-”

“He’s not working for her,” Kid said, still focused on the chokehold. “His name is Joe, and he infiltrated the caretakers.”

“That big lug is a _spy_?!” At Liz’s incredulous comment, Joe adopted a slightly smug expression. No one else was amused.

“Yes, but that’s not all,” Kid said. “He’s working for some other organization, one that recruits Meister and Weapon pairs.”

At this point, Liz had leaned forward towards the front of the van, trying to get a better look of her surroundings. That was of no help at all, as the Weapon only saw miles and miles of empty road, with a few small buildings visible on the far end of the horizon. “Oh. _Oh..._ ” Oh indeed. “Shit, did we get abducted by a human-trafficking ring?”

“Wait,” Joe addressed Kid, “so you’re siding with _them,_ and _I’m_ the bad guy?!”

“What’s that supposed to mean, ya kidnapper?” Liz growled.

“I’m sleepy…” Patty murmured in the back, stretching like a cat before flopping back at the van’s floor.

“I’ve heard of you two. Word spreads around, and Medusa did ask me to get you to her, so I did some research.” Joe huffed, or at least as much as he could in Kid’s hold. “Frankly, the last thing I care about is how a soul eater sees me.”

Liz let out a short laugh. “Same thing, man. If I cared about how people see me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Besides,” she leaned forwards in a threatening fashion. “Who cares what you think, buddy? All that matters to me is _how your soul tastes_ -”

“No.” Kid cut the sister off.

Liz briefly dropped her hostile expression and tilted her at the boy. “No, _what_?”

“You’re not going to eat his soul, Liz.”

“Why the hell not?!” she asked in exasperation, folding her arms at Kid …Was it her impression, or did the van just get colder?

“Liz…”

“Kid,” the elder Thompson shot back nonchalantly.

“What do you mean _why not_?!” the boy hissed. “What possible reason do you have that justifies you eating a soul?!”

“It gives me power-” Liz snapped at the boy.

“You’re eating _human souls_ ,” Kid raised his voice.

“I’ll eat whatever the hell I like.”

“Like you tried to do with my soul, Elizabeth?!”

“If I had, me and Patty wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place!”

“No, you’d still be wondering the streets searching for innocents to kill!”

Liz’s palm was heading straight at Kid’s face until a pale thin hand grabbed it and stopped it in place. “Also, using force is not a good way to get your point across!” Kid yelled, as their two hands struggled for dominance. The boy found the older sister was surprisingly strong whereas Liz’s eyes narrowed at the revelation of Kid’s hidden power.

Eventually, Liz scoffed and pulled her hand away, breaking the standoff. “Fuck off.”

“Eloquently put, as always.” At his snide comment, Liz squared her shoulders and tensed, looking like she was about to full-on lunge at the boy.

“Cut it out the both of ya!” Patty’s voice broke the death glares between the two, stopping the oncoming wrestling match that’d ensure if the younger Thompson hadn’t intervened. “We’re supposed to be a team guys, not fight! You know who fights like that?! _Chickens_! And the only things chickens do is run around and squawk! They’re useless!”

“They do lay eggs…” Joe commented from the background.

The younger Thompson continued her tirade, each word accompanied by an exaggerated gesture. “What we have to do work together, like a giraffe! One of us will be the neck to guide us, the other will be the legs to walk around and the third will be the head to make sure we don’t bump into a tree!”

Liz and Kid remained silent. If they’d looked in the distance, they’d see a lone old car was slowly making its way along the empty road.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Hm,” Mira broke the small silence that had ensued after the two women’s retelling of the aftermath of the Battle. “That’s one way to find a lost baby.”

Azusa shrugged in a ‘what-can-you-do’ gesture. “After that, Marie and I went undercover. We did a few odd jobs here and there, until we got ourselves a place to stay. Around that period, Kid was reaching school age, so we enrolled him at the general elementary,” she recalled. “To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of the curriculum, so I’d homeschool whenever I could. Kid would catch up relatively quickly.”

“Languages especially!” Marie agreed. “I was teaching him Swedish and he learned it so fast! It’s like he got a natural talent for them.”

“Any more unusual skills?”

“Um…” Marie scrunched her brow in concentration. “No, not really. He’s a quiet child; never makes much of a fuss, unless his surroundings are messy, and he keeps mostly to himself.”

“Especially during his earlier years… getting him to socialize with others was neigh impossible.” Azusa gave Spirit and his daughter a small smile. “Remember what happened when you visited us with Maka? Kid was doing his best to hide in a corner.”

Marie giggled, as she recalled the events. “Maka, you kept running face-first into him! It was adorable!”

The Scythe-Meister felt her cheeks lighten up. “No I didn’t!”

“You did! You were a regular flirt, just like your dad!” At this point, the blonde girl had buried her face in her palms, while Soul was watching the whole thing in amusement.

“Not that I don’t appreciate this parental embarrassment,” Stein said, “but was there anything else?”

“Um…” Marie glanced at Azusa. “Maka’s already mentioned his Soul Perception. The only thing that comes up was that he never was a fan of eating. It got better as he grew up, but we had a hard time getting him to eat something when he was a baby.”

Naigus sighed, and turned to Stein. “Any ideas?”

“Some, but there’s not enough data…” The scientist sat up in the couch, and stretched. “Well, time to tall my side of the story I guess.” He fiddled with the screw on his head. “I was drugged.”

“What?”

“How I ended up unconscious. Whoever did this was skilled.” Stein continued. “I’m betting he got Kid and the sisters too.”

Marie gasped. “You think they-“

“Ate your son’s soul? Highly unlikely. They spared Sid and I. Knowing how powerful my soul is, I doubt they had eating souls in mind.”

Everyone but Azusa visibly relaxed. “What else could they have in mind?” the Asian woman asked, sweat forming on her forehead.

“Well,” the scientist huffed as he looked around his room. “The kid’s backpack is missing. It had some strange untranslatable sheets. I don’t suppose he’s an avid fan of cryptography?”

Maka visibly paled.

“Wait, what _strange sheets_?” Mira let out, eyes wide.

“Oh no,” Marie gave a quick look at Azusa, before turning to the blonde girl. “You two didn’t…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Back on the not-so abandoned road, the three teens and adult sat in silence. Patty was looking between Liz and Kid who refused to look at each other. Liz was busying herself by cleaning her nails, while Kid still had Joe in the chokehold. The man in question seemed relatively relaxed, but kept glancing at the van’s rear-view mirror.

After a few minutes, the sound of a car’s engine became apparent. Patty scrunched her brow at the sound. She crouch-walked at the van’s back door and looked through the window.

“Patty?” Liz asked.

“There’s a car heading our way, sis. Looks like an old pick-up truck.”

The elder sister raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Maybe we can ask for transportation back to the city?” Kid’s question seemed to be more of a rhetorical question. Liz certainly didn’t bother answering.

“Stay with me, Patty,” the older Thompson said as she slid the van’s door open. She stepped out of the vehicle, Patty in tow, and waved at the incoming car.

“We’re hitchhiking?” the younger girl asked excitedly.

“If they’re feeling generous enough. If not…” Liz scoffed, “be ready to transform into Weapon form, ‘k Patty?”

“Yay!” Patty giggled and settled at Liz’s right-hand side.

Meanwhile, the old pick-up truck was slowing down as it approached the van. Despite the blazing sun, Liz could make out the plump silhouette of the driver in the front seat. As the car came in closer, she noticed the driver was a plump middle-aged woman, and there were a few teens their age on the truck’s trunk. Liz quickly glanced back, making sure the van’s door was closed. Last thing she wanted is them having a clear view of Kid’s chokehold on Joe.

Finally, the car stopped on the opposite side of the road. The short woman slowly made her way out the car. On its truck, three teenage boys and two young twin children watched the sisters and glanced at each other.

Liz frowned. Had she stumbled upon a weird school trip? The woman’s formal attire, a purple vest-skirt combo, made her look like a strict teacher.

“Hey girls.” The unknown woman’s voice was gruff, reinforcing the ‘strict teacher’ theory in Liz’s mind. “Need some help?”

“Uh,” Liz hesitated, “we’d like a ride, if that’s not too much trouble,” she quickly added the last part, as the last thing Liz wanted was to have another fight out of goddamned nowhere.

“Sure.” The unknown woman crossed her arms. “Where to?”

The older sister glanced back at the van. “New York City.”

Meanwhile, in the van, Kid was hesitantly trying his best to listen in at the conversation. Fortunately, the driver’s seat was at the side of the road, meaning those from the pick-up truck saw a fogged up window in perfect, unbroken condition. Thanks to Kid’s thin arms, even if they could see a clear silhouette, an outsider would have to really look to be able to see his hold over Joe. The joys of having a small physique.

“Aren’t you lucky?” Joe broke the silence. “Not a lot of people going down this road.”

Kid didn’t answer.

“So, what are you gonna do buddy?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you gonna try and hitchhike too? If so, what happens with me?”

“Uh, I…” Kid trailed off. To be honest, he had no plans on what to do with the man.

“If you’re planning on using that glass, I’ll scream. That’ll blow your cover faster than you can cut me up.”

“What-no!” Kid shot back in indignation. “I’m not going to slice your neck!”

“Oh? You realise that’s the entire reason I haven’t attacked yet, right?”

“I would have, if you’d tried to attack me.” He huffed. “However, you’ve been reasonable so far.”

“…Heh. Tell you what Kid.” Joe tilted his head forwards, casing Kid to inch closer. “If you make it out of this in one piece, I’d like us to have a cup of coffee together.”

“What-?”

Joe launched his head backwards colliding with Kid’s face. The teen instinctively let out a cry of pain and clutched his bleeding nose on one hand, the other glass-bearing one recoiling back from shock. Joe was freed from the boy’s hold and made full use of it. The man threw the van’s door open and dashed his way in front of the car. “Auntie, _now_!”

Liz turned around gaped at the now-free Joe. She would have wielded Patty and used her to shot the man, had she not being punched with the force of a rhinoceros by the middle-aged woman.

“Sis!” Patty yelled, as her sister went flying at the van. At this exact moment an alarmed Kid had just opened the door, causing Liz to fly straight at him and send them both on the other side of the automobile, causing the vehicle to briefly tip sideways. Looking back, the younger Thompson saw the other teens climb off the truck. The forms of the two twins and the boy wearing strange glasses transformed into bright orbs of light.

Patty took a step back. They were Weapons. The girl looked back at the van. She couldn’t fight them all on her own; she should get to Liz, maybe Kid too if her big sister agreed. They really made a good team-

A bolt of electricity sizzled the ends of her hair and brought the airheaded girl violently back to reality. “Sis!”

Liz was furious; that much she could tell from their way her sister’s shoulders squared, of the way her eyes burned with killer intent. “Patty, Weapon. Now.”

The younger teen frowned at her sister’s bruises, but obeyed. She was enveloped in a pink light until her M12 form was grasped firmly by the elder Thompson.

On the back, Kid grunted. His collision with Liz had knocked the breath out of him and aggravated his abdomen. Glancing down, he was thankful he didn’t see a fresh splotch of red. Bless his fast healing, in whatever way it came to be.

“Come at me, you fucking bastards!” Oh dear, Liz was pissed. He hadn’t known the sister for a long time, but the pure anger in her voice made him flinch.

“Liz-” Kid managed.

“What?!”

“Need to work together…”

“Aim for his stomach, he’s got an open wound!” Came Joe’s voice from outside the van. Kid swore, if he got his hands on that man…

Liz rolled to the side, tackling Patty with her, to avoid an electric beam running through right where her head was. Kid rushed forwards, taking hold of the van’s door and closing it shut.

A second later, and a tremendous _something_ crashed against the door, causing the entire vehicle to tip dangerously against the crash’s direction. When Kid looked up, considerably shaken, he saw a gauntlet-shaped dent at the metal. Patty, who ended up upside down, was clutching her head, her gaze unfocused. Next to her, Liz shared the same sentiment but reacted to it in an entirely different way. “That’s fucking bullshit, how the fuck did he get backup-!?”

“We’re boxed in…” Kid took a deep breath, trying to calm his own racing heart down –and hopefully not open his wound thanks to his elevated blood pressure.

A second collision, leaving another identical dent and briefly heating up the metal to the point where it was glowing red, unmade any progress Kid had made at composing himself.

“Back door,” Liz growled as a third collision shook the whole vehicle. The metal door now sported a few broken hinges.

“Wait,” Kid spoke up.

“What-?!”

“Transform into your Weapon form.” Upon seeing Liz’ defiant look, Kid stated, “Two guns are better than one.” How sincere he sounded was another matter entirely.

If Kid’s deterministic statement did not convince Liz, the fourth gauntlet-induced tremor did the trick. Liz glanced at Patty, who gave them both an eager look. With a reluctant sigh from the elder, the two sisters transformed. Kid grabbed hold of them in mid-air.

And immediately he almost dropped them.

Liz and Patty… where metal connected with skin, sparks appeared between the two. It was mildly painful, and made Kid’s grip at the Weapons shaky.

“What the fuck, Kid?” Liz’s voice came from the gun. It was strained. “If you’re trying to pull something-“

“I have no idea why that’s happening!” Maybe he looked a bit silly yelling at a gun, but Kid was tired, injured and emotionally drained.

At this exact moment, the stockier boy, a black teen in loose clothes and wielding two enormous gauntlets, punched Kid straight at the abdomen.

…Fucking _ow_.

Kid smashed against the car’s door, denting it, before falling unceremoniously to the ground. He attempted to get up. Notice the word _attempted_.

Thanks to a particularly painful lurch of his stomach, the boy found himself stumbling right back down. He felt light-headed, and there was the same dreaded pain resurfacing. Something liquid ran down his belly. His abdomen _stung_.

Looking down, his fears were confirmed. The run-through wound was reopened, and apparently compensation for all these hours it didn’t bleed.

No, _no, **no-**_

Kid’s world was fading. Liz and Patty had left his side; judging by his still functioning hearing, they were fighting. Black spots slowly clouded the boy’s vision. There was a pained shout from Liz, followed by a thump. It was soon covered by another cacophony of sounds, voices he’d heard and hadn’t heard before…

The last thing he saw was Patty winning a power struggle with the middle aged woman, before the electric staff hit her on the back of the head and she collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor bastards can’t get a break.


	9. Dungeons and Books

Liz’s head hurt. A lot. Also, this was the umpteenth time she found herself face down in an unknown location.

“Fucking hell,” the teen mumbled as she brought up a hand to massage a sore spot on her head. “This is getting ridiculous.” What was this, the fourth time she’s been knocked unconscious? “This day sucks.”

The elder Thompson found herself surrounded by darkness. The only source of light was a faint orange glow, the source of it obstructed by a corner. When her vision eventually cleared, she saw the flame’s glow reflect on metallic surface extending from the wall’s corner.

A cell.

She was in another goddamned cell.

The only thing that stopped Liz from verbalizing an apocalyptic torrent of expletives was her sister’s voice coming from somewhere to her left.

“Ow…” a soft groan came, probably from the cell besides the older Thompson. “Sis, my head hurts…”

“Patty! Are you ok?”

“I’ve got an ouchie…”

Liz found herself growling, in a mix of desperation and anger. Her sister was in pain, there was nothing she could do, and worst of all, it was her fault. Her fault for trusting that stupid brat in the first place. Goddamnit, she was fine the way it was, why not just shoot the bastard after they were done with the caretakers-?

“Lizzie…?”

Her sister’s voice distracted her from her mental rant. “Patty, how are you feeling?”

“My head hurts a bit…”

“Are you bleeding?”

“Nah,” the younger sister drawled. “It’s like when you’ve been sleeping for too long and you wake up suddenly and everything’s groggy-”

Liz sighed in relief. “It’s gonna be alright. Get some rest, ok?”

“Oki…” the younger teen mumbled.

Another groan came from the right. This one belonged to a male voice she’d come to know recently.

“Kiddo?” Patty asked. “Ay, you’re alive!”

“Joy…” the older flatly said.

“My stomach,” Kid hissed as Liz heard him attempting to sit up. A defeated thump indicated he instead settled for being face-up on the floor. “The stitches are still broken.”

“Right,” Liz said in the same flat tone.

“For crying out loud Elizabeth, don’t say you’re still mad at me-“

“It’s Liz and fuck you-”

“Goddammit _Liz,_ ” Kid hissed in pain, breaking off whatever he wanted to say.

“Look at that, little brat can swear,” the older Thompson drawled.

“Sis, Kid’s in pain…”

“I don’t care. He’s the one responsible for getting sliced up in the first place.”

They spent the remaining time in silence, in opposite sides of their respective cells. The older Thompson kept her gaze on the corridor outside of her cell. She lay on the right side and towards the bars, Patty next to her. They couldn’t reach each other unfortunately. The first thought that had occurred to Liz was her or Patty transforming and shooting at the cell until it gave away, or until an unlucky guard passed through. No such luck.

Kid was sprawled on the left side of his cage and towards the back. He lay down flat on the ground, arms around his stomach as if trying to keep his guts from slipping out. His eyes were closed and his breaths swallow. The constant silence made the pain all the more obvious. Goodness knows how much his wounds had been infected right now…

Footsteps. Someone was heading their direction.

Liz shifted from her position, her hand reaching out for her sister who tried to stick her head between the bars to see who was coming. Kid remained motionless in the back of the prison. Two men came into sight.

One of them was the same stocky man she, Patty and…Kid had taken out when they first partnered up, only to face again and lose miserably. The memory felt like it had happened ages ago, yet it was less than a day old and already the sisters seemed to be Meister-less again. The other man, an elderly person dressed in heavy robes seemed faintly disinteresting to Liz. Despite his wrinkled face and a seemingly permanent frown, the only parts that that stood out were the extravagant robes he wore. They seemed to be of multiple layers and the colors were a dark variation of black, red and yellow.

The old man threw the teens a condescending look. Liz clenched her fists and scowled in response. She didn’t like the old-timer already.

“These are the ones?” Upon hearing his gravely and ruff voice, Liz disliked him even more.

“Yes, sir,” the stocky man deferred to the elder. Liz figured out that it was the old man who was in charge.

“Hm.”

The old man stared at the sisters. Liz stared back, adding a sneer to the mix. Patty looked between the two.

Eventually, the man broke the staring contest, looking further into the cell. “And the boy…?”

“Laying down cause his stomach’s doing the re-rendition of the parting of the red seas, with guts instead of water,” Liz growled.

The stranger grimaced at the older Thompson.

“You got a problem, old man?”

“The disrespect-!”

“Is there someone-?” came Kid’s faint voice, only for the teen to pause when he looked at the two people outside the cell. “Oh.” The old man looked at Kid who completely ignored the elder, instead giving the stocky man a death glare. “Joe.”

“Hey Kid.”

The boy frowned at the man’s casual tone. He shifted his attention to the other man. “Who’s the fossil?”

“Watch your tongue, boy!”

“Or what? You’ll make me regret it?” To the sister’s hidden amusement, Kid’s voice tone was surprisingly acidic. “I’m already bleeding from ten different places _sir_ , one more won’t make a difference.”

“What is he talking about?”

“The boy has a nasty wound on the stomach and abdomen,” Buttataki explained. “From what I could gather, these three fought against the Medusa’s child.”

The old man now looked mildly intrigued. “And survived?”

“Obviously,” Kid muttered.

“Yes, but the boy apparently got impaled with the demon sword. His wound was sutured, but the stitches broke.”

“So that is why he’s bleeding in a corner like a pathetic rat.”

Kid rolled his eyes. Liz thought it was appropriate, since he did call the elder a ‘fossil’.

“No matter. Prepare them for questioning. See if we can salvage anything from this new mess.”

Liz frowned at the man’s words. Whoever that elder was, he was in a managerial position, ranking over Joe. Secondly, it seemed that this Academy was not in the best of states; had the library assault cost them so much manpower?

It didn’t matter. She just had to figure out a way to get herself and Patty out of this place, wherever it was.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“You’re up first, Kid.”

“You don’t do handcuffs,” the teen stated in confusion, as he noticed the lack of any restraints.

Joe gave him a deadpan look. “What are you going to do, bleed on me? Besides, you’re in the catacombs. If you get lost here, you’ll collapse from hunger long before you even find the exit.”

Well. Kid couldn’t argue against that.

The boy’s first attempt to stand up did not go as planned. It would have been great, if he was in a stage comedian in search for the lowest common denominator of comedy, but his intentions were the complete opposite. After a bit of fumbling and some jerky limbs, Kid made it on two legs, though that didn’t mean he appeared to be stable on them.

Joe, the one responsible for escorting the boy, frowned at him in concern but a glare kept him at distance.

Despite his desire to appear somewhat in control, Kid only made it to the first turn across the convoluted mess of hallways, before he felt light-headed and almost walked into a wall.

The man only let out a small sigh, as he stopped and turned to the teen.

"Need some help, buddy?"

"I’m fine," Kid said, leaning on the wall for support while his hands wrapped around his stomach. "And I’m not your friend, nor are you mine."

Joe frowned. "I’m just offering help, no need to bite my head off," he said, reaching out at the boy.

Kid slapped -or more accurately, lightly pushed- the hand away. " _Thank you_ ," he uttered sarcastically, "but I don’t need your _help_."

The man put both hands on his hip, giving the boy a disapproving look. "You still mad at me?"

Kid let out a small grunt as he moved away from the wall. One hand was still clutching his bloody shirt while the other was tightened in a fist. "Just get me to wherever I’m supposed to be. I doubt the old man would approve of your empathy."

"Fine, be difficult." Joe sighed. "Whatever floats your boat, I guess."

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

It was about twenty minutes later, after a number of twist and turns in the dungeons –for that was where they probably were, if the stone walls and sparse light were of any indication- they arrived at the destination. The room was bare, save for an old wooden table and two chairs. A naked light-bulb provided the room with some light, but the dust tinted everything orange.

"You're late."

"Sir, the boy is still injured. He can’t walk very fast."

The elder man huffed. "Excuses."

Meanwhile, Kid made a wobbly beeline for the empty chair, neatly collapsing on it. However, this caused the elder to focus on the teen.

"As for you, child..." the man said as he stood up from across the table, towering over the boy. “You have some explaining to do.”

Kid didn’t answer, still clutching at his wound. The room felt uncomfortable, the air heavy. And there was something… something beneath them. A presence. Whatever it was, he couldn’t see it clearly and it was giving him a headache.

“Your little shenanigans have cost the Academy quite a bit of manpower. You can imagine my patience is running thin, child.”

The teen didn’t reply. His hand was still clutching his side. A thin trail of blood was making its way down his side and onto the chair. It wasn’t just the headache. Ever since he woke up at that mad scientist’s lab, Kid had been clumsier than usual, tripping and feeling a bit uncoordinated. It had only gotten worse after he met the scientist for the second time, in the wannabe-Antarctica mortuary. Even now, when he was coming to this room, he’d stumbled on nothing.

…It was like he was five all over again.

The elder must have taken Kid’s unresponsiveness for something else entirely. “Good Lord- Joe, go get some bandages! The last thing I need is the boy passing out because of blood loss!”

To the man’s credit, Joe went out the room and came back with medical supplies fairly quickly.

Kid hissed as his once-white shirt had to be literally peeled off him, the dried blood acting as an adhesive between the cloth and his skin.

“Oh crap,” Joe muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“How the hell are you still conscious?”

“It’s a neat party trick,” Kid shot back at the man.

Joe looked down on the small bottle of ointment. “Antiseptic’s not gonna cut it for this one.” He turned to the elder man. “He’ll need stitches.”

“That can be arranged later,” the priest said.

“Right... I guess I’ll just dress the wound for now…”

A bandage was hastily wrapped against the wound which was still bleeding, but at a lower rate than before. Though it did not stop the constant pain coming from the area, Kid felt it a bit more protected. Maybe it was a placebo effect, he didn’t care; any sort of relief was welcome at this point.

“Let’s get to the point.” Of course, the old man did not show any type of concern. Good, that would mean Kid wouldn’t feel any hesitation when he eventually got the chance to punch him. “It seems that you and another girl where present at the library at the time of our raid. Not only that, but you actively worked against us, acquiring a very important… item.”

“…This is about the book and the notes, isn’t it?”

“I will be honest.” He placed a familiar book on the table. “We are looking for the notes, child.”

Kid frowned. “You already have the book.”

“And?”

“…Why would you need the notes?” Maybe he could turn this around and acquire some information. “Do they say something the book doesn’t?”

“And how would you know what the Book and notes say, child?”

Kid frowned. “Let’s not pretend. I had the Book. I took a peak.”

“At the Book?” the older man said pointedly.

“Yes.”

“How much did you read?”

“Not much, so I don’t know why you’re so interested…?” Kid paused at their increasingly disbelieving expressions.

“…You can read the Book?!” Buttataki blurted out.

“Joe, be silent,” the priest hissed.

….Kid just realised his mistake. Oh no.

The priest took out a piece of paper and scribbled a symbol into it.

“What does this symbol mean?”

“I don’t know what that symbol is,” the teen quickly said, not even bothering with looking at the symbol. “I was bluffing about before-” That excuse was weak, and they all knew it.

There was a swish, and a knife was embedded a few centimetres away from Kid’s bound hands. The boy jumped in surprise and backed up as much as the seat would allow him.

“The next will go straight through your wrist, child.”

Kid gulped. Ok, that was actually intimidating.

The elder gestured towards the paper. “Translate this to me, child.”

What to do… Worst case scenario, he could fuddle the translations, right? No one would know except him.

Should he lie about this symbol? Probably not, they already know its meaning. If he did, that could potentially reveal his ploy to trick them in the future. Alternatively, it could mean that Kid was indeed bluffing.

“What if I answer wrongly?”

“Then… you would be of no use to the Academy. And you will be disposed.” The elder gesture at the knife.

Kid nodded hesitantly in understanding. Plan A it was. Fuck him sideways. Just what the hell had he gotten himself into?

Gulping, Kid looked at the symbol. It looked like a sideways eight superimposed on all possible degrees. Unsurprisingly, he recognised the scribble’s meaning almost immediately, as one does when seeing a simple word.

“It means… ‘Old Ones…?” The meaning itself… Nothing sprang to mind, but a chill went down his spine.

Joe gave the elder a wide-eyed look. To the older man’s credit, he composed himself before addressing the boy. “…Correct.”

Silence loomed over the three. Joe frowned and looked backed and forth the elder man and Kid. As for the teen, Kid took a small gulp, still focused on the symbol.

“Who are you, child?” the elder eventually said.

The boy raised his head to look at the priest. “What do you mean?”

“Where do you come from? How do you know this language?”

“…My name is Kid.”

“I find hard to believe that parents would name their child something like that.”

“I’m not lying.” Kid did his best to supress any hint of nervousness.

“Your family?”

“I’m adopted.”

“What about your biological family?”

Kid shrugged his shoulders.

“You have not met them? At what age where you separated?”

“Young.”

“So no memories?”

In normal circumstances, Kid found it tedious to talk about family whenever it was brought up. It usually went the same route as it had gone now. The pity he occasionally received was unneeded at most. Kid was fine with the family he had grown up with. Of course, he was facing a homicidal elder right now, so his answer was less than articulate. “No.”

“Ah, this is infuriating.”

The next few questions were of a similar calibre. The old man was very interested in Kid’s ancestry, though the boy made it clear he had no knowledge of it. Finally, with a frustrated wave of the hand and harshly spoken words, Kid was escorted back to his cell, only for Liz and Patty to be taken out. During that time, Kid rested. His dressed wound felt much better and was not bleeding anymore.

It was much later during the night that Liz and Patty showed up, with Buttataki as their guard. The older Thompson gave him a venomous glare, before scooting down on the opposite side of the cell with her sister. Jo closed and locked the cell doors, and made his way out, the light fading away until the whole dungeon was submerged in darkness again.

Neither party slept well that night.

\\*~*~*~*Many Years Ago~*~*~*~*/

It was noon. The sun was high above bland concrete buildings, structures still in development. Steel pipes and sacks of cement mixture were scattered at the centre of the 'neighbourhood'. Said centre was but flat-pressed ground, no pavement in sight, with weeds and other hardy plants growing in sort bursts across it. Yet, despite the potentially hazardous building equipment and sweltering sun above the makeshift 'square', young kids played around with no care in the world. Most had formed cliques of peers with whom they played small scale games like hopscotch. One large group had managed to get a solid round of hide-and-seek going. Yet a smaller number of children were alone, entertaining themselves. A young blonde boy got up from his fifth attempt of trying to stay on a bicycle for more than ten seconds. A skinny preteen girl was arranging rocks in different patterns on the ground.

And a certain black-haired young boy was sitting on a makeshift seat made of some extra bricks, against a half-built concrete wall, away from the sun, close to where some of the aforementioned builders were keeping an eye out for the children.

"Hey Kid!"

The boy whipped his head to the source of the sound.

A short but well-built woman stood over him. Her blond hair was tied to a knot and held back by a flowery bandana, speckled in dust and dirt. The same could be said for her clothes, a pair of baggy grey pants and a non-descript T-shirt.

Kid gave a small smile and a wave to the familiar woman. After all, Marie was the closest thing he had to a family, as it was with Azusa who, he noted after looking a few meters behind the Scandinavian woman, was downing down bottles of water like she'd just been rescued from the Sahara dessert.

"What's up?" the blonde woman cheerfully asked. "Why are you here alone?"

The child shrugged. His shoulders jerked awkwardly.

Marie gave him a patient smile and sat on her knees so she was an eye level. "You don’t wanna play with the other kids?"

"I'm ok," Kid said, his voice soft but raspy.

"Hide-n’-Seek Championship!" Their attention was taken by a buck-toothed boy who'd climbed the brick pile in the middle of the square. He had fuzzy red hear covering his eyes, but proudly displaying his wide smile. "Listen up y’all!

"Oh!" Marie clapped her hands in delight. "You should go and play, Kid!"

The boy looked away and made a non-committal sound.

"Aw, come on, don’t be like that!" The boy gave another non-committal answer, this time fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "One time?" Marie playfully pleaded. "For me, please?"

The boy lightly groaned. "...ok..."

The woman gave him a triumphant smile before bringing the boy close for a hug. "It'll be fun!" Marie playfully rustled Kid's hair. "Go kick their buts-!" She cut herself off. "Don’t actually. It's just hide-n-seek."

"Ok," the boy said with more conviction as he disentangled himself from Marie's hold.

As Kid walked towards the gathering, he passed by his second guardian, Azusa. The Asian woman was drenched in sweat and looking more miserable than a wet dog, but she managed to give the boy a small wave as he walked by her. Kid reciprocated the gesture.

Eventually, he made it to the centre where most of the kids where gathered. Almost every child was there, save for a small boy being scolded by a builder, who was probably his dad, and the waifish girl now arranging rocks in a cyclical pattern.

"Yo! What’s your name, new guy?" Kid was immediately confronted by a boy almost twice his size. He was visibly older than him, though his uncut blonde hair made the stranger look more childish.

"Kid," the shorter child replied in a low tone.

The older boy paused and gave him a puzzled looked. "Really?"

The brunette nodded.

The blonde regarded Kid for a moment before shrugging to himself. He turned around, now facing the bulk of the gathered children. "Ok, y'all!" He shouted, "lemme say everyone's names, so ya know who yer tagging!"

The boy rattled off the names while pointing to an individual to show which name belonged to whom. Surprisingly, he remembered everyone’s names correctly, which was a feat for an 11 year old and a gathering of about 25 people.

After about ten more minutes of aimless shenanigans and lots of miscommunication, the game was under way. Using the sophisticated method of ‘Eeny, meeny, miny, moe’ the ‘it’ was a bulky girl with short brown hair. She gave the crowd a look of despair before resigning to her fate, spun around until she was facing the pole and began counting.

"5, 10, 15..."

The children scattered in all directions like teens in a police-raided party. Some, due to lack of experience, or maybe sheer naivety, chose obvious spots, like hiding behind poles or laying down next to a steel beam. Other where more creative, like employing half-used material to build 'innocent' pile of rubble or even hiding where the builders where gathered. One entertaining soul ran to his mom and they basically exchanged clothes, right down to an elaborately held together hijab.

As for Kid, he had no grandiose ambitions. He ran to the foundations of a half-built building, in the corner closest to the guard post, so that way he'd be close to it. As for seeing the girl leave, he didn’t need to outright see her. Just her soul.

‘Ah, yes,’ the boy though, as a small smile crossed his face. His 'secret ability'.

"40, 45, 50..."

He’d figured out most other kids didn’t have this ability. At first he thought it was strange, but he’d came across to accept it as something that simply 'was'. Azusa and Marie also didn’t seem to mind; they were hesitant at first, but Marie soon got excited, whereas Azusa gave him plenty of helpful advice, first and foremost being 'watch your step so you don’t bump into a wall.'

"65, 70, 75..."

Besides, that wouldn’t be the first time his body did weird stuff. Kid had extremely poor eye-to-hand coordination, and sometimes it felt like he was operating his body through some unintelligible middle party. It’d gotten better as the years passed and he grew older. However; as small patches of dirt and pulled weaves on his shirt revealed, he was nowhere near as balanced.

He also tended not to use his voice much. It didn’t physically hurt, but whenever he heard himself speak it felt... wrong. Like he was using someone else's vocal cords. But Kid had heard his voice would change when he grew up and he was looking forward to it. If he had to pick a favourite voice, he'd go with Brandon's, a middle-aged jolly builder. He had a deep voice, but unlike some of the other men here, his voice never felt threatening or maybe it was that Brandon himself was not a hostile man. Whatever. He had a nice voice.

"...90, 95, 100!"

Any chatter immediately died down, as the area became deadly quiet -save for the adults watching the whole thing in amusement. Kid heard shoes against gravel, as the keeper hesitantly stepped forwards, still double checking her environment.

This was it. Kid's normal vision was partially obscured as several technicolour orbs materialised in his field of view, each representing a soul. He couldn’t see the colours very well, and the orbs looked like they’d been smudged with extreme prejudice. It was way better than going blind though.

Several minutes passed. In those, three people were caught, one girl managed to get herself safe, whereas there was an intense argument between a boy who claimed the girl had pronounced his name wrong and nearly ended in a wrestling match. After an almost reenaction of one of Undertaker's finishers, the keeper girl had grown more reckless and ventured further away from her post.

Yes! There was his opportunity! He bent down, ready to dash around the corner...

The sole of his foot slipped, resulting in tangled legs and the boy found himself face down on the dirt, with a dull throb on his right palm.

Kid looked up. On the edge of a half-built wall, a protruding rusted metal rod was flaked with a dark red liquid.

The boy slowly brought himself up and examined the wound. It was kinda deep, it throbbed and there was a lot of bleeding. His palm was covered in the red substance.

The teen let out a small hiss as he applied pressure to the wound. He should tell Azusa and Marie about this. Betty, a girl a few years older than him, had gotten a scratch from a rusted nail and she ended up getting very sick... Kid hadn’t seen her since.

He also had to get to them fast. Kid's wounds differed from the norm. Who knows? Maybe he could mention his guardians how he healed faster than most, the same way he'd told them about his ability to see souls-

"Ha! I got ya!"

He looked up to see the keeper girl eyeing with a look of satisfaction as she run to her post. In his distracted state, the boy hadn’t noticed he'd walked out of his hiding place and into the open. Kid frowned and shook his head.

"I’m hurt."

The girl’s expression fell and she stomped her foot. "That’s totally unfair! What happened?!"

"…Scratch," Kid mumbled as he held out his hand.

The girl grimaced when she looked at the boy's bloodied palm. "That don’t look like a normal scratch."

"It’s not serious."

She huffed and crossed her arms. "Whatever. I give you a free pass, but just because I’m doing good so far, ok?"

Kid nodded with the slightest hint of annoyance at the girl’s behaviour. If he hadn’t slipped, he would have to the post first and declare himself safe. Instead, the bot walked away and towards his guardians. He saw Azusa sprawled next to a wall for cover, a wet towel over her head, while Marie was merrily chatting with the now Hijab-less woman. Azusa seemed to sense his approach, as she took the towel off her head and gazed at the boy. She noticed the red over Kids right hand, and her eyes narrowed in concern.

A scream resounded through the impromptu sandlot.

The world around Kid became a whirlwind of movement, and he was now behind Azusa and Marie, specifically right behind Azusa’s thigh. The brunette placed a hand on Kid’s shoulders, barely reaching him due to the child’s short height.

There was a haggard looking woman, with a deep semi-healed wound on her shoulder. Kid remembered her from a few days ago. Apparently, she’d been heavily injured, but miraculously recovered, and today was her first day of coming back.

"Tina,” Marie asked, “what's wrong-?"

"He- whatever the hell he is wrong! I saw him! I saw him, I tell you!" She whipped her head maniacally. “He’s the one that did this to me!” She was frantically pointing at a stocky man sitting alone. Brendon.

"Saw what ya screaming harpy?!" A lanky man yelled as he waved around his half-eaten sandwich.

"I saw it! That’s why I was attacked! I saw it doing it… Eating-" the shrill voiced woman shivered, hugging herself for comfort. " _Eating a soul_!"

There was silence. Kid found himself pushed behind by Azusa, as Marie stepped in front of them. The boy watched from behind his guardians.

"W-what?" The Muslim lady stuttered as she backed away from the man, hiding her son from view.

"B-Brendon?" The lanky man with the half eaten sandwich said, as he stepped forwards. "What the hell…?"

Kid frowned. Brendon was a bad guy? In a way, it made sense. The employers didn’t check who they hired as long as they were fit for the job. Marie had the upper body strength, whereas Azusa functioned as her team's brain, ensuring they were working at maximum efficiency. But that also meant all kinds of people were working at the site.

"Oi, that’s not true, right man? We’ve know each other since we were snot faced brats. I know ya man. You don’t do stupid... Or bad."

Brendon did not respond. The people had now formed a circle around him.

"Say something, man!"

The man remained motionless. "For my daughter... had to be strong…"

Kid looked at the skinny girl a few meters away. Her rocks were now chaotically strewn as she stood up and looked fearfully at the crowd, her back against the wall. Still the boy had his doubts. The man usually was jovial, and occasionally brought candy for the children. But lately he’d been acting strange….

Maybe if Kid used his Soul Perception… Marie and Azusa had said corrupt souls look very different from human ones…. Kid took a deep breath and focused. Maybe he could use his Soul Perception to get to the truth…

The boy’s breath hitched. It was red, the soul was a _deep bloody red_. It monstrously pulsated with corrupt power, like a heart gone horribly, terrifyingly wrong.

As if in slow motion the man's eyes went red, as his jaw unhinged revealing rows of serrated teeth. People around them panicked and fled. Kid felt himself being dragged away, but the boy did not willingly move. At that single moment something stirred inside him, a primal feeling the boy had never experienced before.

Fear.

He felt himself shoved and pressed into something soft. He looked up to see Azusa had tightened her embrace. From the sides, Marie’s hand seemed to glow, but Kid couldn’t get a very good look. They were in some kind of cover, as they were in the shade. There were yells screams and the area was filled with the cacophony of desperate battle.

This went on for some time. How much Kid did not know, as was held securely in place by Azusa. He did not see Marie, but sensed her soul was close. Eventually, the sounds of the battle and terror died down. Some people were moaning in pain. Dust had filled the air. Azusa slowly relaxed her grip on Kid, until the two made it out of their cover to see the aftermath.

It was not a pretty sight. A huge steel pipe was poking out of the man’s –if one could still called that distorted figure human- stomach. The sickly-looking girl was nowhere to be seen.

The next few moments were surreal. People gathered around the fallen creature hesitantly, and ready to run at the slightest provocation. One person had said good riddance. Another threw a rock at the body. And all around there were questions. How? Why did it happen? Where there any signs-?

A burly woman took a brave step forwards and marched right up to the fallen pre-Kishin. Her tanned skinned was marred by countless scars, yet her powerful figure overcame any signs of weakness, such as her slight limp.

"Fist and easiest way to see if someone is corrupted," The woman’s commending voice shook Kid out of his stupor, to see her slicing the pre-Kishin’s forearm. The cut was deep and Kid was reminded of his own sliced palm. "Create a wound." she paused. As if magically, the torn flesh pulled itself back together under many fearful gasps. The woman looked up, her face a sombre mask. "Humans don’t heal that fast."

“They say, that whatever happened ten years ago sealed our fate! That we’d all go mad! Well I say they’re wrong! People have been organised and build communities in this continent before whatever the hell happened 800 years ago! We’re no different! Humanity will persevere!”

What followed was a cacophony of encouraging yells soon accompanied by witty slogans and battle cries. The people vowed they wouldn’t be weak… they wouldn’t reduce themselves to the worst kind of parasite. Most of them would fail. After all it wasn’t humans versus monsters. It was one’s self versus their desire for power.

But for a young black haired boy, none of that mattered. Because at that moment, Kid looked down at his own bloodied palm.

There was no wound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First appearance of an OC, the Head Priest! Also, he’s complete ass! Yay!  
> Sorry for the delay, I took a not-so-small Christmas break to cool off. Anyways, happy 2016 everyone! :D


	10. A Hidden Witch, Ominous Writing And A Speeding Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay again. I was sick with shingles and my flatmate forgot to pay the internet bills, so I was caught off for a while -.- To make it up, this chapter is also longer than normal updates.  
> Also, my semester just started and I don’t think I can keep up with the update schedule. I’ll try though…  
> If you're looking for something more 'lighthearted', I got a Soul Eater oneshot up. It's about Sex-Ed. I'm dead serious.

“Explain this!”

“And why should I?” Kid inspected his nails. “Certainly not because you said so-”

The man slammed his hands on the table. “Obey me, child!”

“See? That’s the problem. You want me to translate the Book? I’ll need to be alive for that. And moderately cared for,” he quickly added the last bit. Despite his confident pose, Kid was mentally sweating bullets. “Last thing you want is your interpreter fainting halfway because of exhaustion.”

They’d reached an impasse; the priest wanted Kid to translate the book right here and now. Kid had argued for better treatment. The priest argued back; Kid reciprocated the gesture. Then, the shouting began.

The boy hoped translating the Book would come of higher priority. Judging by the older man’s outraged expression, Kid was getting somewhere. Where exactly was something he did not know.

Screw it. Might as well lay out his conditions now. “First you provide me basic necessities.”

“No. First, you translate.” If anything, the teen noticed that the elder man spoke with an accent, especially when agitated. Perhaps English wasn’t his first language? If so, Kid was furthest away from home than he ever wanted to.

“Alright then,” the boy conceded. “I will translate the first page. After that I would like a proper meal for me. And the Thompson sisters,” he added the last part with some hesitation. Yeah, they had a falling out, but he wasn’t that petty to deny them a chance of proper nutrition.

The elder’s wrinkled face scrunched up in frustration. Kid kept his face neutral, but couldn’t help gulping.

“ _Condenado mocoso creído_ ,” the man muttered under his breath. Eventually, he faced kid and muttered a half-hearted, “agreed.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

It was about half an hour later that Kid found himself on a different part of the dungeons. On first glance, this cavern was comfier than the one he was before. Candles were placed in nearly every corner, providing ample light. Long coloured carpet-like fabrics covered the stone wall, from colours ranging from blood red to a subdued golden hue. There were a few comfortable looking armchairs, accompanied by low tables. On the end of the room was a worn medieval-styled writing desk.

If Kid wasn’t now sporting chained legs, he would enjoy relaxing in such a place.

Of course, the presence of Joe, acting as his guard again, and the heavy much-discussed tome laying on the top of the desk quickly shattered such wishes.

Suppressing a sigh, Kid settled in on the desk. Pieces of paper and pens were already laid out on one side, so the only thing he had to do was open the Book and do his part.

Still… he observed the Book’s cover. It was rather exquisite –and most importantly of all, symmetrical. Brass was fashioned into an elegant arch like design, replicated in all four corners. Another gold coloured metal –maybe it was actual gold- ran along the Book, in a cross-like pattern. In its centre was a crest embroidered into the cover; at first, Kid though it was some kind of symbol he didn’t know, but then quickly realised that symbol spelled out ‘Eibon’ in the strange language he somehow understood. Above and below the crest was some writing. The ink was… flaky. The orange hue of the lights didn’t help much, as it made it look like it was a reddish colour, much like blood.

“ _They lived a life of faith and now_ ,” the boy read in a quiet tone, as he ran his fingers over the dried ink, “ _you are reaping the rewards_?”

…WHAT? Was it the words of the author himself, or just some random scribble by a random person? The quote was in plain English, so Kid assumed the latter.

“Um…” Kid spoke up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Joe perked up. “Oh that? Don’t sweat it. The Book was in European possession for a while. Story goes, it was saved by a monk who found a way to read it…” the man hesitated. “They say he went insane after he read the thing in its entirety, and that he tried to burn it… It didn’t work, so the guy gouged his eyes out and wrote the quote with his own blood. He died shortly after.”

“Oh, how wonderful,” Kid quipped, withdrawing his hand from the blood he thought was ink. “I should keep a pen near then, in case I lose my mind as well and end up wanting to scribble nonsense on the cover.”

“You’ll be fine. You are not supposed to read the entire thing.” Despite his response however, Joe looked away the moment Kid opened the Book to its first page.

The boy scowled at the behaviour, but then took a brief glance at the text. Since he didn’t feel the urge to mutilate himself, the boy grabbed the pen and began translating, while trying his best to ignore his handwriting.

_‘Greetings._

_To whoever is reading this, I welcome them. To be honest, I am not sure why I am writing this book in the first place. Perhaps it is a need to share knowledge with others, or venting mechanisms to record what I learn through the ages; the answer lies within the deepest reaches of my mind.’_

It was tricky. Translating was more complicated than he expected. The words on the book seemed more… abstract than the other languages he knew – so far he was aware he knew English, Norwegian (Marie’s native tongue), Swedish (an extra language Marie also knew) and Japanese (Azusa’s native language), though the fact that he could read the Book only made things more chaotic. Kid hated that.

_‘Ah no matter. I have already started on this long endeavour; there is no point going back now’._

The boy could empathise with the last part. It’d been a few days now and he was missing home. He could only hope his family, Maka, Spirit and the scythe-boy were safe.

_‘As for you, foreign reader. Maybe you are a rare breed of human. Maybe an elder witch. Maybe you are one of the myriad of creatures I describe in my tome. Maybe none of the above. No matter the case, you now hold my little treasure cove. The mere fact that you are able to read this shows you are of extraordinary intellect or origin, since this tongue is arcane and long forgotten by mortals.’_

It was with sentences like this that caused Kid to feel an impeding identity crisis. Still, he continued translating.

_‘Inside this tome is much knowledge about apocryphal beings, mystical phenomena, arcane magic, and long-forgotten knowledge. Tread with caution; this world is vast, and the beings that inhabit it can be terrifying even for the most powerful of mortals. Creatures beyond the mere bests described in folklore, and passed in to myth. Such things are recorded in this book. Treat it and the information it contains with respect and a level-head and you shall benefit. Be abrupt and short-sighted, however… If I believed the influence of Gods can affect this Book, I would pray its spells will keep my tome in an adequate state. But, whatever you do, keep one thing in mind;_

Below, in deep black ink, it wrote:

**_DO NOT TURN TO PAGE 666 AND DO NOT SEARCH FOR THE INDEX_ ** _.’_

Well. Better keep that in mind.

“I’m done,” Kid said as he placed is pen down and looked expectantly at Joe.

The man nodded. “Ok. Next time, see if you can find the part about Death.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

“Use the table of contents.”

Kid looked back at the last part of his translation. “I don’t think I should.”

Joe frowned, as he leaned over Kid’s shoulder. “Why do you not want to go to the Index-Oh…” The man scanned the last part of the translation. “That’s… something.”

“I’m not risking it. I did my part; now I’m waiting for my meal.” If it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Kid didn’t have the slightest clue. His circadian rhythm was that he didn’t have one.

“Right. Let’s get going then.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

After a refreshing meal of canned beans and bread, Kid was escorted back into his cell. To his relief, it came equipped with a cot and even a blanket. From what little light there was, he saw Liz and Patty in their cells. Both sisters were sleeping at the wall where their cells were separated. Their hands extended out from the metal grid and towards each other.

After Kid was placed in his cell, Joe went around the corner. A few minutes passed and the man started conversing with an unseen person.

“And make sure you keep an eye on them, alright? I know you’re new, but this is important,” came the man’s voice.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” came a female voice from around the corner. Kid was sure he’d heard it somewhere else before…

There was the sound of footsteps leading away, while a new figure appeared. She was rather short of an adult, and judging from the shape, it was female.

Then, said stranger casually walked up to the cells, the light from a nearby torch illuminating her form.

At first Kid thought he was hallucinating. But there was no mistaking that short pink hair, pale face, and arrogant expression.

“ _Kim?!_ ”

The pink-haired girl’s eyes went wide as she regarded the boy. A surprised snort and yawn from his left indicated the sisters also had been woken up.

“ _Kid?!_ ”

“ _What the hell are you doing here, you’re a witch!_ ”

“ _Shut up before the whole school hears it!_ ”

“…the fuck is going on?” a rudely-awakened Liz grumbled.

“Don’t care, I’m going back to sleep sis!” chimed Patty, as she put her hands over her ears and was off to dreamland again.

Meanwhile, Kim and Kid were continuing their unscheduled freak out.

“What the hell are you doing here?!”

“I could ask you the same thing!” the girl shot back. “How on Earth did you end up as the DWMA’s prisoner? The fuck did you do, eat a soul?!”

“That’s not funny!” Kid protested.

“And who’s this bitch?” Liz’s voice came from her cell.

Kim looked at the elder Thompson, Liz glared back. Then Kim turned to Kid with a confused as hell expression.

“You teamed up with them?! Are you nuts?!”

Liz´s glare intensified. “Oi-!”

“You’re the one working for the cult of psychopaths, and I’m the irrational one?!”

“That’s not what the Academy’s about!”

Kid gestured wildly around him. “Are we not talking in a dungeon right now?!”

“It’s an old building!” The witch responded unconvincingly. “I mean, they say Death founded the whole thing, so they’re trying to maintain the atmosphere and stuff…”

“I was threatened with having my soul taken!” Kid indignantly shot back.

“T-The Head Priest has uh... effective negotiation techniques!”

“Careful you don’t sprain a nerve cell with those mental gymnastics you’re doing!”

“At least I’m doing something!”

_“…What?!”_

“ _What?!”_ Kim shot back, equally confused.

Kid shook his head. “Whatever. What the hell is a witch like you doing in this place?”

“Will you stop saying I’m a witch already?!” Kim hissed.

“Depends, I want answers. You give some in order to take some.”

“Ugh… How on Earth did you end up here?”

“I had a run in with Medusa during school. I think she wanted to kill me, but I escaped. Things escalated after that.”

“Understatement of the fucking century,” Liz murmured, rubbing the sleep off her eyes.

Kim huffed indignantly. “In that case, you freaking owe me big time, Kid.”

“What?”

“That little rumble back at the school? That was me and Jackie, causing trouble to show the guys here we’re on the Academy’s side. I’m guessing that’s why your head is not on Medusa’s platter right now.”

That made some amount of sense. But speaking of the Academy…

"Who the hell is that old dinosaur then?"

“Who?”

“The guy with the fucking robes, who else?” Liz spoke up. “The one with wrinkles as deep as the Grand Canyon.”

Kim frowned. "That's Theodore Barzai, the 'High Priest'. Technically, he's the Head of the Academy."

"Technically?” Liz drawled. “The fuck does that mean?"

"Well, remember when I said Death founded the Academy? That ain’t a fairytale; the Head of the academy is supposed to be the Grim Reaper. But, seeing as they were ..." the witch grimaced, "kinda torn apart... the Head Priest serves as the Head, in place of... Death, or whatever."

There was a pause.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Liz hissed. "We were actually abducted by a death cult."

"Naigus said the Academy searched for the Book to revive the Grim Reaper...." Kid whispered to himself. "Kim," the boy spoke up, as the witch focused on him. "Do you know if the Academy has any plans... about the Grim Reaper?"

The pink-haired witch frowned. "What do you mean, ‘plans’?"

"About the Grim Reaper. Any sort of... agenda?"

"How the heck am I supposed to know? I'm just a new student here-"

"Don't play dumb. You've managed to portray yourself as a normal human. You must have adapted here quickly."

"I-well…" the witch protested. “I know rumours at best."

"That’s something,” Kid conceded. “Do you know if they have any plans anything related to the Grim Reaper?"

"When you put it like that, no. But I do know they're planning something midnight of October 31st."

Liz scrunched her brow. "Isn’t that...?"

"When Death was defeated by the Kishin," Kim explained. "Yup, that’s the date."

It was also his 16th birthday, Kid mused as he felt his heart give a painful clench. His birthday was a weird matter. Marie and Azusa insisted on celebrating it the day they found him, despite the connotations that date brought. The witches usually celebrated, as magical fireworks tore through the night sky. For that reason, they celebrated on November 1st, when all the fanfare had died down.

“Crap," was all Liz said.

“Do you know why they specifically need the Book of Eibon?” He remembered Naigus’ conversation in what felt like eons ago. Still, maybe he could find out something new.

“I don’t know exactly why, but I know a few things about that Book,” Kim muttered. “You know of the legend of the Necronomicon, right? Scary tome which can be used to summon even scarier stuff?” The two awake caged teens nodded. Myths of scary artefacts travelled fast in a world where creatures with inhuman strength roamed the streets. “Well, the Book of Eibon is equivalent to the Necronomicon, only much more ancient. The Necronomicon was written by a man. The Book of Eibon, however…” She toyed with a strand of her pink hair. “Some say Eibon was a wizard. Others say he was something much… scarier.”

“You’re not filling me with confidence,” Kid muttered.

“Hey, I heard the gossip! You’re the weird one who can read this stuff!”

“And you’re the undercover witch in a death cult.”

“It’s not a death cult-!”

“No, just Grim Reaper Enthusiasts Anonymous,” Kid shot back.

“I- Gah! Just hear me out for a moment!” Kim yelled. “They say the Academy was founded in order to take in Weapons by the Grim Reaper themselves before their battle with the Kishin, though I think the last part’s rubbish.”

“Why Weapons?”

“Do you know how Weapons came to be?”

“Fuck if I know,” Liz admitted. She hadn’t thought much of where her heritage came from. Probably her mother, as she and Patty both had identical Weapon forms. Still, Liz didn’t care about that prostitute, the same way she never cared for them. Where her dead-beat mother had gotten the Weapon heritage from, she didn’t know, or even care about it.

“I thought it was a natural variation?” Kid said in uncertainty. “Like the same way Witches came to be?”

“Well, we’re involved.” Kim let out a deep breath. “So, say about eight-nine centuries ago you had Arachne, the eldest of the Gorgon sisters. At the time, she was a powerful witch, though not very famous… I don’t know where she found the knowledge, or if she invented the method itself, but Arachne experimented with souls.”

“I thought that was Medusa’s thing?”

“They’re sisters. I’ll be more surprised if Shaula doesn’t try any wacky mad scientist stuff as well,” Kim commented. “Anyways, Arachne wanted to make a powerful legion of humans who’d fight for her, or so the story goes. She made a human able to transform onto a scythe. Most say it was to mock the Grim Reaper as she used the scythe against them, but…”

“But?”

“It didn’t pan out. There was… something. I read in an old book of the escapee’s accounts that the first Weapon Arachne had created went rogue and… drove people insane. Something about everyone unleashing their inner anger and acting like animals. Weird stuff,” she said absent-mindedly, before focusing on the matters at hand. “But yeah, a lot of the Weapons she had as prisoners made it out alive and spread throughout the world. They mixed up, had kids, then their kids had kids and that’s how we ended up today.”

“Right…” Liz drawled. “The fuck are we supposed to get out of this?”

“This is a school for Weapons and Meisters.”

“We know.”

“Well, that’s why I wanted to come here in the first place! I met Jackie a while back and..,” her voice became more high-pitched and frantic, “s-she then… she was gonna get her soul taken, and I freaked and…” Kim stopped herself, taking a deep breath before assuming her usual smug expression. “I mean… stuff happened.”

“So you two are here now and it’s all fine and dandy?”

“Yeah… that’s not exactly. I mean, Weapons here aren’t in danger of having their souls eaten like in Kishin controlled territory, but…”

“Of fucking course,” Liz grumbled. “What’s the catch to this place?”

Kim looked away. “Some of the more extremist view them as Witches’ artefacts and well… you can guess how it goes.”

“Oh, good, we’re hated here too, woop-de-fucking-do,” Liz murmured in resigned irritation.

Kid frowned. “Where are we?”

“You are in the Mexica Empire, or just Mexico. Depends on how imposing you wanna sound. Tapachula city, to be more specific.”

“Tapa-what?”

“Tapachula,” Kim repeated. “It ain’t close to the border, if that’s what you wanna ask.”

Liz let her face fall to the floor. “Fuck everything about this…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Back into Mexico’s neighbouring country, a van with more people and driving faster than should be acceptable or safe, was making is way towards the border.

“YAHOO!!! GO FASTER!!!” came the yells of an excited blue-haired boy, half his body out of the speeding vehicle. The other half was on Tsubaki, who had resigned to her fate as the assassin’s only thing that kept him inside the car.

“ _This is not… cool…_ ” an out of breath Soul wheezed, currently seated –or more appropriately sandwiched- between Maka and Tsubaki. Then he noticed he was face-level with the brunette’s plump chest. “ _Or maybe it is kinda cool… silver lining and all that…._ ”

A green faced-Spirit appeared out from the back, his head in the gap between the front seats. “Hey, Azusa, maybe you should slow down-”

The woman scowled, as she pressed further down on the speed pedal, causing the car to accelerate even further.

“ _That’s the opposite of what I wanted you to do!”_ screeched Spirit, as he was soon crushed by 80 kilos of solid zombie mass. “ _Marie, Stein, do something!_ ”

“DRIVER, BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER!!!” Black*Star’s voice came from the front.

“SHUT UP, YA BRAT!” the red-haired man yelled back.

“Nah, I’m guessing we’ll be alright,” a squished Stein replied from the back. “I don’t know how to drive, Sid can’t control his limbs properly, Naigus is still injured and Marie said she’d punch anyone who tried to take the wheel from Azusa.”

Speaking of which, Spirit threw a quick look back to the blonde, holding Sid’s body at arm’s length with minimum effort. Her one visible eye was scrunched in determination, as she stood on her knees to look at the road to Azusa’s left.

Spirit gave a pleading look to the blonde. “ _Marie, do something_!”

“Azusa is the best driver among all of us, and the fastest who can get us to where Kid is,” the Norwegian woman responded.

“That won’t do if we arrive there in a pulp!”

“We won’t be involved in a car-crash,” the driver calmly replied. “I am taking the route with the least traffic and compensating by increasing speed. Statistically speaking, it is one of the safest options.”

“It doesn’t feel safe!”

“The illusion of safety is too costly to maintain at our current situation.”

“The heck is that supposed to mean?!”

“Spirit!” Marie yelled. “This is Kid we’re talking about! He is in danger! What if… What if Maka was the one kidnapped?!”

The man fell silent.

“Azusa…” Spirit eventually spoke up, face forlorn in determination. “You’re not going fast enough.”

The van’s engine reached its breaking point as the car sped up even more.

“ _You are all crazy, this is crazy, why did I even agree to your crazy plan…?_ ” Soul muttered, as the temporary inertia caused him to nearly fuse with his seat. Next to him, Tsubaki’s frown had deepened, as Black*Star almost got pulled out of the car, if it hadn’t been for the female ninja’s quick reflexes, not that the young assassin noticed; if anything, his shouts became even more excitable.

Soul leaned his head back in resignation. Well, he was the one that wanted in a Meister-Weapon group. Apparently, part of his membership was having impromptu trips throughout the continent.

…It was still better than back home. Sure his brother might miss him and all that jazz, but Soul wasn’t a burden anymore.

Soul shook his head. Nah, he shouldn’t be thinking of depressing stuff like that. It wasn’t cool.

Speaking of not so cool things, his Meister, Maka, had not said a word throughout this crazy adventure. The girl had just put on her seatbelt and, despite a sharp yelp when Azusa first went above 100 mph and further attempted to break the sound barrier, she had otherwise remained silent.

“Oi, Maka,” the albino boy said, his words strained as it felt this car would travel back in time any moment now. “Why the long face?”

“Oh. I’m just… worried,” she muttered, a thoughtful expression on her face. “And I’ve been thinking of… things.”

Yeah, she was probably worried about her friend, that thin guy that got stabbed. Soul wouldn’t blame her. The albino never really had a ‘best friend’, but he could empathise.

“Ah, don’t worry. We’ll get him. Then we’ll… I don’t know, go live in the ‘South’, or something,” he said nonchalantly. “I heard there are still some cities left which humans still have control over.”

“Right,” the girl muttered distractedly. “Humans…”

Maka didn’t like the situation they were in one bit. Yes, she’d ended up with a Weapon partner and he seemed like a cool guy, but at the same time, Kid was in danger. Judging by Marie’s and Azusa’s reaction, the boy was in a big risk. Not much had been said out loud between the adults; what the blonde girl understood so far was that Kid had been kidnapped by the Academy, a Meister-Weapon organisation. Initially, that didn’t sound so bad; after all, all the people there were either Meisters, or Weapons. The Academy should be on their side, right?

Then she recalled other little details throughout her life. Details that, if put together, would make for a disheartening Big Picture.

If the Academy was such a good place for them, why weren’t they there? Why didn’t her dad stay there? The only logical reason for that would be that the Academy was somehow worse. Now, how could that place be worse than New York, Witch hotspot and HQ for the Kishin Council? She didn’t know, but she could make an educated guess.

The next question/clue about the whole thing was how her dad came to know Marie, Azusa and the rest of the adults in the vehicle. From what little she could make out, they were classmates, or at least grew up in the same environment. Since they were all Weapons or Meisters, the most likely candidate would be the Academy.

So, at one point, they were part of the Academy. But, something had happened. Something big. Something that made them decide to stay off the Academy’s radar.

At this point, she did not have many clues, but then again, educated guess. It was the battle between Death and Asura fifteen years ago. She didn’t know much about it; it was very hush-hush. What she did know was that somehow, perhaps the Academy was involved, Death was released from the seals placed eight centuries ago –how those seals came to be was a question for another day. There was a fight between the two deities, and perhaps between the supporters of both. It couldn’t have been pretty. Regardless, the Kishin won, either by chance, or pure strength and Death was destroyed.

That last part irked her. How do you destroy Death? How do you kill the End? It sounded like an oxymoron. Yet many claimed that people did not die anymore. That they were ‘free from the shackles of mortality’ and all that jazz. Well, problem was that people still died, kinda. The difference was that their souls stayed in this realm than do whatever souls did before.

She had no idea why things came to be the way they were. She didn’t really believe in fate, or all that nonsense; the world was too chaotic for that. She believed in consequences though, and the butterfly effect.

Maybe the catalyst was Maka proposing her daring plan to infiltrate the Library. Maybe not. Maybe it was that weird pink-haired teen, Crona, which caused Maka and Kid, with their respective Weapon partners, to be separated. Or maybe that was the result of something bigger building up to an unexpected revelation, like in one of those detective novels she liked to read.

But, from Stein’s words, it seemed as if the Academy specifically targeted Kid. Thing is, what made them target Kid? Why specifically him? More than that, the Academy wanted the Book as well. Could the two be related? Not really, and Kid hadn’t said anything about that. Besides, it seemed the Academy’s interest in Kid happened after they first interacted with the organisation. So, what was it?

Maka didn´t know when her thoughts became jumbled and convoluted, but she found herself going through old memories. While contemplating the moving landscape, pondering the last part of her ‘investigation’, she remembered a certain conversation she had years ago…

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

They were young, Maka remembered. The girl had just started training with her dad. She had also met up with Kid after a long period of him being away, something about Marie and Azusa taking full time jobs in a construction site.

"Maka?" she heard a timid voice. The girl lifted her head, to see Kid staring at her from his covers. "Oh, you're awake."

"What is it?" She asked, confused. Kid didn't talk a lot, much less go out of his way to make conversation.

"Um..." the boy hesitated. “Do you know... what other types of people are out there?"

That question came out of the blue. "Huh?"

"Um, I know you read a lot," the boy said in a low tone -as low as his childish voice allowed. "Do you know, besides humans... if there are other intelligent beings?"

"Eh?" Maka asked again. She still had no idea from where Kid's question came from. "I know there are witches, and humans that eat souls get turned into pre-kishin..."

"No, not like that!" Kid protested, before looking down and fiddling with his covers. "I mean, besides them..."

"Uh..." the girl drawled as she thought. “You mean Weapons and Meisters?" That was the only thing that came to mind.

Kid didn't look up. "Nah..." Eventually, the boy receded further into his covers. "It’s nothing."

"Ok..." the girl said carefully. “Hey, Kid."

The boy looked up.

Maka flashed him a big smile. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I’m your friend, I got your back!"

The boy gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Thank you, but it's nothing. I was curious. Goodnight."

"Goodnight and sweet dreams!"

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

_Humans_

_On Earth, humans are the dominant species. What makes them unique from the rest of the mortal beasts is their relatively advanced brain which personally, is mildly impressive, yet nothing to write home about._

_As with most mortal creatures, human are quite fragile. They need to breath, or they die. Too much, or too little oxygen in the air, and they die. Too much carbon dioxide in the air, and they die. An increase or decrease in pressure, such as underwater or in space, and their bodies catastrophically fail. Not enough food, or food without the proper nutrients, and their bodies wither away…_

The rest of the page was filled with details of how one could die. It was disturbingly extensive and articulate.

_Of course, they can create life, as all other mortal species, though the labour is much more intensive due to their oversized brains. In fact, the new-born babies are premature by general species standards. Both minds and souls continue developing for dome period after exiting the womb. This vulnerability and plasticity would make the new-born ideal victims of possession, or body theft. The maternal and paternal instincts help alleviate that._

_Admittedly, they are quite adaptable as a species and relatively flexible. Witches, and the changes their souls undergo when eating another human soul are interesting variations. Such ingenuity should be acknowledged. Though not remarkable it terms of strength, or ‘power’, they are the dominant species of this planet at the moment. I look forward to seeing whether they self-destruct or reach further greatness. Both futures are equally intriguing._

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid went to rubbing his wrists the moment he entered his cell in the dungeons. The skin was a bit raw from the handcuffs, but nothing his abnormally fast healing couldn't handle.

Speaking of wounds, Kid looked down at his stomach. Careful not to accidentally poke the area, the boy slowly undid a few of the lower buttons on his shirt to reveal fresh bandages where the wound was. Initially, Joe had insisted on applying the bandages himself, but after Kid's incessant protests and constant nagging, the boy had been handed some fresh bandages and antiseptic and left to his own devices. That was a small victory; last thing he wanted was for the Head Priest to find out, which would bring more severe corporal punishment, since they would know Kid could heal it off.

True to what he knew of himself, the wound had healed plenty. It was still rather gruesome, after all Kid had been run though, but the stitches -courtesy of Joe after his first session with the priest- had held strong. There were also some signs of repair, especially at the edges of the wound. Kid didn't know if it would leave a scar though; if it did, it had better be symmetrical, like the one he had on his upper stomach region.

Ah, yes, that. Another curiosity of himself, though nowhere as extreme as his other 'eccentricities'. It was hardly noticeable, just a small faint line of discoloured skin on his upper abdomen... it was a bit hard to see now, what with all the blood and torn flesh, but if one was to pay close attention now they'd notice it.

Kid had no idea how he got it, only that he always remembered having it and that it was fortunately symmetrical. When he asked Marie and Azusa, they'd both said it was because of a wound he already had when they found him... However, ever since Kid found out about his healing factor, he didn’t know what to believe anymore. If he did heal so fast and scar-less, then how on Earth did he end up with that scar in the first place?

The boy ran a hand through his black hair. A lot of things had come up which made him doubt his identity. First, there was the Soul Perception and the scar. Both things occurred in humans, though the former was rare. That was acceptably believable.

Then, however, came his revelation about his fast healing. That, he was sure was not a characteristic of a human being, abnormal or not. Then there were other things, major and minor; lack of appetite, seemingly impenetrable immune system, his knack for languages, the surprising strength he had.... they were all adding up to something, but Kid had no idea what it was.

His first guess was that he was a witch. However, Kid was fairly certain that wasn’t the case. First of all, Maka, that mad scientist or Joe would have noticed it with their Soul Perception -Joe had mentioned something about 'Soul Protect' but Kid was in a state of emotional turmoil to pay any attention at the time. Second, he didn't feel any more magical, or any new ability. He knew witches could also transform into an animal, in accordance with their type of magic, but that hadn't happened with Kid. The teen was also 100% sure he wasn't a pre-kishin, as he hadn't consumed any souls and wouldn't do so at gunpoint. So, that left him with zero possible explanations.

He had a faint hope he might find something in the Book of Eibon. Despite its dark origins and apocryphal secrets, the Book claimed to document all existing life on Earth. From the way the author phrased it, there was more to this world than humans, witches and Kishin eggs. The most obvious one was the whole Grim Reaper situation, but Kid hoped there'd also be a clue, an indication of what the hell was going on with him.

It had to.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

_The Old Ones_

_Since the beginning of intelligent life, mortal creatures have yearned for a greater power to worship. As I am writing this on Earth, I should mention Humans are no different. Since the beginning of civilization, religion has been a near constant. Paganism, Occultism, Polytheism, Monotheism; all refer to a greater power beyond humanity’s reach. Maybe it is a need among humans to come together as a society. Maybe it helps fill their existential void… Or maybe it is the manifestation of humanity’s dreaded knowledge on what is already out there._

_If the reader is a particularly religious person, then I apologise in advance for what can be conceived as blasphemy. But for many, the Old Ones are considered above Gods themselves._

_For what they actually are… there is no standard answer. To even say they even possess a physical form would be too specific. But there is intellect, even in those fuelled by pure, animalistic desire. A good way to measure their intelligence is by how undetected they remain. In fact, and I am saying this in jest, your neighbour could be an Old One, but you could spend your entire life not noticing a thing wrong with them. And if you did… you would -probably- not be reading this in the first place. Though not bound by any form of government, or even establishing a society or civilization, it is generally agreed Old Ones do not interfere much with mortals, unless provoked. After all, would you go out of your way to try and interact with an ant?_

_Then again, there are the tales of those going mad at the mere sight of one… Though it does make for a compelling story, such cases are far and few, and for a reason._

_The Madness is contained. Passing as a mortal does not require much effort; it is as if you pretend to make animal noises. Some parts are off, but there is improvement as time passes on. As for why… well, again, it is for the minimum disturbance. Despite the little power mortals yield, continuous assault is annoying and not something to be sought after; same goes for rendering a population into drooling maniacs. It is too much of a fuss. The exception, when it comes to avoiding disturbances, is when you have a bloodthirsty Old One. And if they are bloodthirsty… merely going insane would not be satisfactory. Unless of course, that is their aim, in which case I am afraid there is not much one can do besides steel their will and hold out for as long as possible. Yet even then, Old Ones are ageless, so centuries are not seen as a big span of time..._

_As for how many Old Ones there are… perhaps you can count them on one hand; perhaps they are as numerous as the stars on a clear night sky. I do not know. Perhaps I never will._

_For the sake of your sanity, do not challenge an Old One. No matter how weakened or trapped by mortal spells or bindings, the core of each one hides an apocalyptic mind-decimating mix of power and knowledge… The same way you do not fiddle carelessly with an atom’s core, for fear of an explosion of the grandest magnitude, do not even conceive trying to antagonise an Old One. A shattered mind and soul would be the best outcome. The worst… let’s just say some other planets with intelligent life met a very unfortunate fate._

_But please, do not let me discourage you. You can have delightful conversations and even debates with some…’_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Ever since their fight on day one and the later encounter with Kim, Kid and the sisters didn’t talk to each other. Neither party initiated conversation, and it didn’t look like things would change anytime soon. Liz and Patty usually talked to one another in hushed tones. If Kid wasn’t so preoccupied to the mystery of his own existence, maybe he would have been bothered by it, or at least noticed. In the current state of events however, they boy didn’t mind the relative silence of the dungeons.

So it was to Kid’s surprise that Liz was the one to take the first step and directly address him.

“You ok?” The remark was snap and to-the point, but not insulting.

It did not mean Kid was also willing to talk, however. “Why do you start caring?”

Liz growled. “Look, I’ll be forward with you. I know that whatever you did made sure me and Patty got proper food. So thanks for that, even though it’s your fault we got here in the first place.”

Well, he couldn’t really argue against that. “…I’m alright,” Kid admitted. “They have me translating. I’m cooperating, and they need me in good health. I should be fine…”

“Translating? What the hell?”

“The Book. The one I was holding when we…” _when you tried to eat my soul_ , “when we first met.”

Liz huffed. Whether that was because of what Kid said, or their shared memories of the first meeting, the boy didn’t know. “Oh. That paperweight?”

“Yup.”

“I opened it, and the pages were filled with a bunch of gibberish. Couldn’t read a thing.”

“Apparently, that’s supposed to be the normal way of seeing it. Not for me though…” Maybe he shouldn’t have started this conversation in the first place. He didn’t like where it was going.

“…Huh. How the hell do you do that in the first place?” For a moment, the elder Thompson sounded genuinely interested. “You studied that gibberish?”

“No.”

“Then how-?”

“ _Can we please stop pretending I’m human?_ ”

Silence.

“What are you talking about-?”

“You must have noticed-”

Liz huffed. “All I know is that you’re a weird-ass kid with bad social skills and even worse luck who can from some nasty injuries.”

“Thank you for that uplifting comment.”

“Anytime, smartass,” she shot back. “So, you do weird things. Half the planet’s fucked, you’re not a special snowflake.”

Kid didn’t reply.

“Tough it out. We’ll figure that shit when we’re not locked up. And we do get out, I’m gonna kick your ass, but until we’re safe from the psychos here. And you need to de-stress too, Kid. You’re turning into an old man.”

"What?"

"I guess you haven’t looked in a mirror for quite a while...” Liz muttered to herself. “Your hair, dude. It’s starting to turn white. Parts of it, to be honest..."

There was a pause.

"Are they symmetrical?!"

"Nah. It’s on one side.”

Kid fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maka and Kid put their detective skills to work, many things are explained and the build-up keeps… building up.
> 
> Trivia time: ‘Pedro’ is the equivalent of Peter in Spanish. Barzai is a reference to Lovecraft’s “The Other Gods” short story. 
> 
> Also, the quote on the Book of Eibon in the anime was in quoting some random real protestant guy??? I don’t know, so I changed it to somthing more fitting. :P


	11. So You Want To Infiltrate A Death Cult

“Oi, oi, I think we’re approaching the border.”

It’d been a few days since the beginning of their impromptu road-trip. They stopped occasionally to restock for food and relieve themselves. Thanks to the adult’s savings, they could fund themselves for about a week. Currently though, the last thing on their minds was their financial state.

“What do we do when we reach the Academy?” Sid asked. He had eventually resigned to sitting in the back of the car; that way, he wouldn’t accidentally fall in someone due to his lacking motor skills.

“We barge in, take Kid and get out!” Marie said, clenching her fists.

“We can try sneaking in,” Spirit said. “Tell them we wanna re-join, or stuff like that.”

“That won’t work, I’m afraid,” Naigus said from the back. “You guys don’t have a good reputation.”

“Oi, we’re Deathscythes! The three of us! They can’t just turn us away.”

“No, but they can lock you up,” Naigus intervened, “and _test_ how loyal you are.”

“I can’t let them see me as well,” Stein added. “They think I’ve been consumed by the Madness.”

“They already thought that when we were in school,” Spirit muttered before turning to Sid and Naigus. “Can’t you two go in and infiltrate them?”

“Assuming you’re not still loyal to them,” Azusa muttered.

“I…” Naigus hesitated, looking away. “You helped me when I was down. I can’t forget that. And what the Academy has done is kidnap a child. That’s… not something I agree with.”

“I think you’re forgetting something,” Sid muttered. “I’m not the kind of man I used to be…” It might have been their imagination, but there was a comical tear in Sid’s eye. “The Academy will think I’m a ghoul and attack me…!”

“Drat…” Marie hissed. “So everyone here is suspicious.”

“FEAR NOT, MORTALS!” Came the assassin’s muffled voice from outside. “I, _BLACK*STAR_ , have heard of your plea! I’ll go in and kick everyone’s ass!” The blue-haired teen eventually brought himself back in and gave everyone a smug smirk. “Well, that and I always wanted to infiltrate something! That’s so ninja-like!”

“That’s dangerous, you little idiot!” Sid yelled from the back. “I may not be the man I was, but I’ll still look out for you, and I say you don’t!”

“I DO WHAT I WANT!”

“You’re part of the Star clan, you’ll be recognised before you even go through the front door!” Spirit grumbled. “We’d be better off sending in a Gorgon sister.”

“And the Academy knows I’ve seceded too…” Tsubaki meekly added.

“What about me and Soul?” Maka innocently said.

There was a pause.

“MY LITTLE DARLING MAKA!” Spirit cried out loud, lunging at his daughter. Azusa yelped at the red-head´s sudden manoeuvre, and the van briefly veered off course. “THERE’S NO WAY I’D LET YOU DO SOMETHING THIS DANGEROUS!” He cried, clutching desperately onto the girl.

“I want to help Kid, papa!” Maka shot back, physically thrashing against the unwanted embrace. “I’m not five-!”

“’It could work,” Stein admitted.

“Oi, Stein, whose side are you on?!” Spirit yelled and shot a death glare at the grey haired-man.

“You and Soul have not contacted the Academy yet, have you?”

“Well, I met a couple of them in the Library, but it was dark, and they didn’t get a good look on my face… Kid was the one who attacked the big man, so he was probably seen them… I just knocked a guy unconscious with a book.”

“You can do that with a book?” Soul muttered wearily in the background.

“I DON’T AGREE WITH THIS!” Spirit lividly protested.

“Ok, say Maka gets in,” Sid spoke up, ignoring the red-head. “What do we do? I don’t want to stand around doing nothing.”

“Well,” Marie’s voice trailed off. “We may know a guy or two…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

For the umpteenth time, Kid found himself staring at a new page to translate. Progress had been slow, and he wouldn’t have paid much attention, until he noticed this section’s title:

_Eibon_

_Yes… I am an Old One myself. I do not remember my origins, or even if I had any. My age is also unknown to me; I know that I have existed for a very long time, and that I have seen many worlds, some wondrous, others mundane. Many self-destructed; others were destroyed; a select few still exist, though I am unsure of their state…._

_But I digress. This is not a biography. Not at this point at least._

_How does one define themselves? I find myself staring at the empty pages, ink dripping over, words not-yet-written._

_Perhaps I should start with appearance?_

_My form… varies._

Scribbled on the margins of the line, it read:

_(This does not seem to be very helpful.)_

The boy frowned about how to go along translating this. Eventually, he settled for copying the Book’s format, and hoped Joe wouldn’t see it as a snarky comment from your truly.

_I am humanoid. I possess two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. I am tall for human standards._

_…I do not know what else to say._

‘At least they tried’, Kid thought, as he translated.

_In terms of power… I do not possess physical prowess to the level of my peers. Mind you, dear reader, if you are not an Old One, I would probably be able to overpower you. I am physically weak on Old Ones terms, not in human/mortal terms._

_There is one peculiar thing though. I constantly hunger for knowledge. What would happen if I did this? If there was a point mutation in that gene? If I fiddled with a soul in a specific manner? If I moved a habitable planet closer to their star? Like a child with a magnifying glass burning down insects, my methods were brute, unsophisticated and worst of all, unscientific. It took me a long time to recognise the barbarity of my actions. For the latter half of my existence, I have decided to adapt an empirical system and do not play around like a petulant child._

_Yet… I may have already broken that promise. Though my motivations are often shared among characters in Earth’s literature, they are often depicted as overreaching, and even blasphemous. I do not mind the religious implications, yet I should have heeded the warning signs. I did not. Now, I find myself short of an ally, and the planet in a state of chaos… Whether I did ‘good’ or ‘bad’, I cannot judge for myself, as I find such terms overly simplistic and much too clear-cut; but that story is for another chapter. However, I enjoyed my time on Earth, and do not want to leave this planet anytime soon…_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

As the days passed in the academy, Kim and Kid had worked out some sort of system. The undercover witch would volunteer to guard them at night. It helped boost Kim’s standing as a hard-working member of the organisation, and also keep an eye on Kid and the sisters, so they didn’t blow her cover. In exchange, the imprisoned teens had questions about how the Academy was run, what a Deathscythe was, along with news.

When it came to translating, Kid cooperated. He hadn’t intentionally mislead, or mistranslated any part of the Book, though he may have copied the strange and unintuitive syntax of the Book, just to make the process last longer. He hadn’t gone over much in the Book, he was still in the first one hundred pages. Unfortunately, that also meant that all Kid had learned so far were about the Old Ones. It was a fascinating and kinda terrifying subject, but not what he was looking for.

His line of thought was interrupted by Kim entering the dungeons, this time looking grumpier than usual. What was stranger is she came at what was presumably early morning –the dungeons didn’t get any light, so Kid used means to account for time. She was off-schedule, and that could mean either very bad, or very good news. “The Academy’s got new recruits. They showed up early morning and are getting registered, or something like that.”

“And that’s important…why?” Liz drawled. She wasn’t a fan of the Witch, and the two had settled for mutually disliking one another. Maybe it was her rather arrogant style, or simply the clashing of two aggressive personalities.

“Because they’re already a Weapon-Meister pair. Usually, the process is that newcomers pair with someone already in the Academy… They’re fishy.”

“You and Jacqueline were already a pair.”

“Yeah, but I’m not most of recruits, as you keep reminding me,” Kim shot back. “I got a bad feeling, though it’s just a blonde chick and some albino guy-”

Kid gave her a wide eyed stare, as the sisters frowned in confusion.

“Hey, isn’t that…?”

“That’s the girl and scythe boy we met, aren’t they sis?”

“That’s Maka…”

Kim regarded them with confusion. “What?”

“Did you get her name-? What did she look like-?!”

“Woah, calm down! You know those two?!’

“Just tell me what they look like!”

Kim looked left and right, as if fearing a staff member would pop up at any moment. “Alright, calm down. The girl’s Eurasian, she has blonde hair in pigtails, green eyes, a bit taller than me…”

As the pink-haired girl listed more of the stranger’s physical characteristics, Kid didn’t know whether to feel relieved, or even more anxious. Kim’s description matched exactly with how Maka looked.

“Oi, Kid,”’ Kim forcefully said, seeing Kid’s eyes glaze over.” You want the boys description to, or not?”

“Ah,” Kid mumbled, “yes please.”

“Right, so he’s taller than the girl. I’m 100% sure he’s an albino, I mean he’s got the whole package; pale, white hair, red eyes, ya know. And from the gossip I’ve heard, the girl’s the Meister and the boy’s the Weapon.” She placed a finger on her chin. “Not quite sure what he is…”

The raven-haired teen had an entirely different line of though.

Everything Kim said matched up, even when it came to her Weapon partner. Kid had managed to get a brief look at the boy’s reflection on his blade, and it fit Kim’s description. Short of seeing the duo with his own eyes, that was the most conclusive evidence he could get.

Yet, that raised so many questions than it answered. Why were they here? _How_ did they get here? Did they somehow follow Kid, or was it pure chance?

Were they in danger?

“Ya know, you’re lucky I’m being so cooperative,” Kim grumbled. “I’m not even supposed to be this close. We get one lucky bastard using their Soul Perception…” she trailed off, scowling.

“If they do, they’ll just see you being close to me. You can just say I was being unruly, or come up with some other excuse.”

“At least I got Jackie keeping watch whenever I venture in to talk to you lot… you owe me.”

“You have my eternal gratitude,” Kid deadpanned.

“That’s not worth anything. If you wanna pay me back, give me money,” the witch said, rubbing her index, middle finger and thumb, in the universal ‘money’ symbol.

“Of course, because in my current state I can easily acquire it.”

“Just keep it in mind when you get outta here. I’ll be waiting for my dues.”

“You wouldn’t a happen to be a shark-themed witch, would you?”

“Eh? What?”

“He’s calling you a loan shark, you snob,” Liz said from her corner of the cell.

“Don’t you start with me, ya blonde broad-!”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Maka shifted nervously, as she took in the room she was in. Soul was next to her, but what little comfort the boy offered was quickly vanished by his uncomfortable stance. The two teens nervously looked around the room. It was massive, a ceiling so high it could accommodate an actual giant.

Their plan was working so far. At first, it felt idiotic climbing over the myriad of stairs, towards the imposing structure. They hadn’t even made it into the front entrance before Maka and Soul were flanked on all sides by people organised in pairs – Meister and Weapon duos, the girl realised.

Maka did most of the talking, while Soul provided precious back-up whenever she felt her nervousness overtaking her, or she faltered during their made-up story. The teens claimed they were prosecuted by the Kishin’s forces and made their way into Mexico, hoping for a sanctuary of sorts.

The first hiccup was when they were asked how they were prosecuted. Maka’s first instinct had been to explain that her dad –much to the girl’s mental exasperation- had helped her, but she quickly clammed up. She remembered the adult’s words on how she must not even hint to being an Albarn and that it would only complicate things. Fortunately, Soul quickly spoke up, his tone dismissively teenage-like, but what he said…

Maka tightened her fists. That explained why the Scythe boy wasn’t upset about leaving his family behind. Maka might have also grown up as an outcast, but at least she wasn’t alone…

“Oi, you’re the new guys, right?”

Meister and Weapon looked to their side, to a group of five students. They were almost exclusively male; Maka couldn’t figure out if the young twins were boys or girls.

“I’m Kilik Rung,” the boy next to the twins said. He looked fit, but his slouched frame painted him as an easy-going guy. “Welcome to the Academy.”

“Harvar D. Éclair,” the tallest boy said. He wore orange tinted glasses, and had a serious, cold air around him.

“Ox Ford,” the other guy said. He wore formal clothes and looked very composed, despite his outlandish two-spiked hair. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

“N-nah,” Maka quickly said. Was he the boy she attacked at the Library? She hoped not. “My name is Maka A-Angeram,” the girl said, and politely offered her hand for a handshake. She stuttered a bit when it came to her surname, still not used to her false identity.

“Soul Evans,” the albino said, with an air of confidence Maka felt a bit jealous about.

After they exchanged pleasantries and general introductions, the group of students offered show Maka and Soul around the Academy. The due accepted, and they were currently walking towards the main plaza, close to the Academy’s entrance.

“Ha! I’ll have you know, I’m the top student of my class!” Ox proudly said.

“Careful I don’t depose you then,” Maka muttered.

Soul whistled, as he saw the crowds of people gathered at the plaza. “That’s a lot of people.”

“Yeah, lessons just ended so people are hanging out. We don’t really have anything to do either,” Kilik said as they started descending the stairs.

“Can’t be that boring around here.”

“You’d be surprised. This a small city, so people kinda know one another. And there are so many times you can go to the same café, or for a hamburger place. It’s not like this place is a metropolis.”

“Come on, they’ve gotta be all sorts of weird stories going on around here,” Soul nonchalantly said. He was being suave as fuck. Damn anyone who said he couldn’t do subtle.

“There are, but they’re supposed to be secret...”

Soul huffed. “So what, I don’t look trustworthy to you? Come on, be a bro…”

As Soul continued nagging the dreadlocked guy, Maka scanned the crowd. Her eye fell on a particular pair of students. They didn’t look too much out of the norm; the short pink hair was the most ‘extravagant’ feature, but Maka had seen weirder. No, it was their posture, how they regarded the two students… The pink-haired girl was fixated on them, with a faint scowl on her face she was failing to hide. The brunette girl on the other hand, had a perfectly blank expression, but her gaze kept shifting between the partner and the new duo.

“KIM!” the near-bald boy yelled in delight and lunged at the pink-haired girl. “My Queen, what a wondrous sight it is to see you here-!”

“Nope,” the unknown girl blankly stated, dodging to the right and causing Ox to run face first into the wall. “You don’t look like you got my lunch so I’m not gonna waste my time.”

Maka frowned at the exchange. “Who’s she?”

The glass-wearing boy looked at the spectacle. “Oh, that’s Kim. She’s kinda of a new student as well. Ox has a major crush on her… it’s ridiculous…” He pointed at the dark-haired girl next to Kim. “That’s Jacqueline. She is Kim’s Weapon, and her form is a lantern.”

Maka scowled at the pink-haired girl’s behavior. “They don’t look very friendly.”

“Eh, they’re alright. They’ve been helping out a lot, so I guess they’re just not very social.”

“Right.”

At that moment Kim glanced at Maka again. The blonde girl frowned.

Something was up.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

After leaving Maka and Soul at the outskirts of Tapachula city –much to Spirit’s despair-, the adults made their way further inland. The vegetation was low and abundant, with some trees dominating the horizon. They had to backtrack considerably, all the way back to Mexico City.

They wanted to meet with one specific individual: Tezca Tlipoca, also known as the Demon Mirror.

On the surface, he was a liaison between the Academy and the Mexican Government. In the eyes of Marie, Azusa and Spirit, he had helped them getting disentangled from the whole Academy mess. It was fair to say that Tezca’s agenda… differed from Theodore’s.

So different, that Tezca had inadvertently lead to the formation of a resistance cell.

It wasn’t much at first; one guy wanted to cross the border to the north so he could visit his family; another woman wanted forge papers so she could leave this mess behind and return to her home country. They were isolated and unrelated cases, stemming from some of the stricter rules in their society.

And then there was the Battle a decade and a half ago and everything went to hell in a hand-basket.

The ones in charge wanted someone to accuse, so why not those who participated in the Battle and made it out alive? The twisted reasoning was that if they came back alive, they hadn’t fought hard enough and were part of the reason the Grim Reaper lost.

Yes, Tezca couldn’t make that even if he tried. That was then he used all means he had to sneak the Deathscythes out of the country. He did get accused of doing so, however charges were dropped after there was no evidence. Nowadays, it is believed that the three survivors had perished one way or another.

Thankfully, not everyone is the Academy was a brain-dead religious zealot; there were massive protests, but there were supresses. After time passed and there was no solution in sight, many of the protesters or the sympathisers had caught whiff of the investigation Tezca had found himself in. After some pressure and a lot of planning which took up a good part of the year, Tezca had ended up the head of a sizeable resistance movement.

 And there he was now, fifteen going to sixteen years since he’d been doing this. During his time, the resistance had grown; they now had many members throughout the staff and students, though they still didn’t have the numbers or influence for a proper coup d’état. However, since the recent arrival of three very disgruntled Deathscythes, Tezca had come across some invaluable intel.

The information he had was like a giant puzzle finally coming together. Initially, there were the reports of the Academy acquiring an ancient tome with forbidden magic. It was called the Book of Eibon, and there was little information about its author, or even when it was written. All his information pointed to that Book being essential for Theodore's plans to revive the Grim Reaper. How else could they explain the abnormally large-scale assault at the Central Library at New York?

These rumours were confirmed shortly after, when new rumours started circulating at the Academy’s circles. These new speculations were about Theodore finding someone who could actually translate the Book. Coupled with what the three exiled Deathscythes told him… Everything made sense…

So, it seemed this child was the one translating the book for Theodore. Willingly or not, it didn’t matter. What concerned Tezca the most were the consequences.

It was true the Academy had plans to revive the Grim Reaper. That had been an ‘unofficial agenda’ after the battle one and a half decades ago. Before that, it was to find a way to release the Death from the Kishin’s seal. At this point in time, however, there was a split. On one hand you had the old group, those with Theodore’s mindset. The other side came to be as a natural result when you have many people from different backgrounds coming together. They were the opposition, with Tezca as an ‘unofficial’ leader.

His position was quite simple. Tezca did not believe the Grim Reaper would be a miraculous ‘saviour’. Especially with Theodore’s leadership. That man was more likely to rain hellfire onto ‘disloyal’ citizen than start an actual offensive. Call it cynicism, pessimism, whatever. Matter of the fact was that he had to stop the Academy’s progress.

To do so, it seemed he only had two options. One was to mount a rescue operation for the boy…

Or dispose him.

...Rescuing someone is near impossible. Throughout centuries, the Academy has been reinforced on both outside and inside; not even mentioning the countless Meisters and Weapon residing in the area. That'd put Tezca's operatives at a great risk and the last thing he had was people to spare. So most appropriate solution would be a quick operation, in and out before anyone can understand what went wrong, one that allowed his operatives to leave without any extra ‘burden’…

I.e. the only pragmatic solution was to 'kill' Kid.

Of course he wouldn’t mention that to Azusa or Marie, or any others of their team. Tezca had no illusions; he knew what his actions meant. Part of being a fringe group is that you are eventually forced to apply the phrase ‘the ends justify the means’, even if you don’t agree. This was one of these situations. Theodore Barzai was a madman; he and his plans had to be stopped at all costs.

It would be too suspicious for Tezca to act. He could get discovered, or worse… That, and you don’t send the head of your operations into a risky mission.

There was one specific duo Tezca had in mind. They were capable and focused on their mission.

Or maybe it was because the Meister he was thinking about was part of the Star Clan…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *crosses fingers and hopes this update isn’t too far off the established schedule*
> 
> Some more plot is being laid out… I swear I’m not stalling, just trying to establish the stakes and all major parties… shit’s gonna get crazy.
> 
> Next chapter will be up (hopefully) in two weeks. Please review.


	12. Kid Dies. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, exam season who the fuck cares, have some fanfiction instead
> 
> Anyways, welcome to the long-awaited chapter, where everything goes to shit. T rating comes at full swing, prepare for gratuitous amounts of blood. Enjoy this extra-long monstrosity (even longer than the 1st chapter).
> 
> Can you spot the hidden message at the incantation? (you’ll see when you get there). Also, incoming Undertale reference, hold on to your butts.

It'd been a few days since Maka and Soul had joined the Academy. Honestly, things were more normal and less murder-y than they expected.

Today was when they'd spar with a staff member to see how well the new duo fought. From what Kilik, Ox and Harvar had said, Weapons and Meisters were divided in two major categories: the EAT and NOT classes. The NOT class was where the majority of students were sorted. It was for students who had either basic, or no fighting skills. Since there was no point sending inexperienced units into battle, the NOT students mostly served as a defence group, in case the EAT class, or staff members needed backup. The two pairs of students they'd met the other day, along with Kim and Jacqueline, as Maka and Soul had been informed, were members of the EAT class. They were the 'advanced' students, those had decent experience as a Weapon Meister Unit, and could pull their own weight in a battle.

Maka was fairly certain she and Soul be sorted into the EAT class. Though her partnership with the albino boy was a recent phenomenon, the girl already knew how to fight with a scythe, courtesy of her dad -no matter how much Maka begrudged Spirit, a small part of her was thankful that the man taught her how to properly fight. Though the parent and child didn’t see eye to eye, there was one matter they agreed on; this world was dangerous, and the more they knew how to defend themselves the better. She hoped she could make up for Soul’s inexperience, and the scythe boy didn’t seem to mind.

A crowd had gathered around the Academy’s square. Most were teenagers, around Maka and Soul’s age. Some were older, anywhere from young adults to middle aged. It was a diverse crowd as well, hailing from all around the world. For a seemingly isolated society, the people were surprisingly diverse.

A pair at the back caught Maka’s attention. They were two solemn-looking boys, watching everything in disinterest.

“Maka, who are you looking at?” Soul said next to her, his eyes following her gaze.

"Oh, I´ve heard about those two.” Kilik said, who was next to the Weapon. The scythe boy had been hanging out mostly with Kilik; Ox and Harvar were too nerdy for his tastes. “Clay Sizemore and Akane Hoshi. They’re lone wolves, and in the NOT class for some kind of reason. I’m surprised they were sorted there. There’s a rumour they’re holding back, so they won’t get deployed. I wouldn’t blame them to be honest; the missions have been getting stranger and stranger..."

Though Maka hadn’t lived here for long, she could see his point. And, if her gut instinct was correct, she'd met Ox and Harvar before, in a not so friendly manner...

Maka tore her gaze away, only to focus on another mysterious individual. Kim, with Jaqueline on her side. Both were gathered on the far end of the crowd, focusing on the square, but occasionally glanced at some of the staff. Now, it might be her imagination, but Maka felt as if the pink haired girl had been trailing her and Soul ever since they got here. The blonde often saw either Kim or Jackie in close proximity to them, and it was getting worrying.

Then, Kim did something unexpected. She looked straight at Maka, and inclined her head sideways, as if signalling her to meet up later.

Maka frowned. Something was up.

“Alright, lassie!” came a gruff bellowing voice. Maka jumped in alarm, and Soul may have let out a small yelp, though he’d never admit it so.

At the other side of the square stood a short, plump, blonde woman. She had her hands in her hips, and gave a strict look at the teens.

“Who are you?” Soul half-yelled, in order for the unknown woman to hear him.

“Call me Auntie, kids. I’m here to see if you’re EAT material.” The middle-aged woman gave them a wink.

Soul grimaced.

“Oh boy, you’re getting the hard one,” Kilik joked. “Good luck, try to stay in one piece.” He gave Soul a pat on the back, and walked back into the crowd.

Maka took a deep breath. She could do this.

The square went silent, so silent that Maka could hear her own beating heart. All eyes were on her, judging, calculating, picking apart her stance and attitude. The blonde didn’t mind however, having only one thing in her mind; she went into fighting stance, her sight never losing the woman in front of her.  Soul crouched as well, ready for his Meister´s command.

Without any sort of warning or advice, the older woman lunged at them. Maka had but a few seconds to respond; the woman was fast, too fast...

“Soul!” Maka yelled, and the albino transformed in that exact moment to stop an incoming punch. The power of that movement sent Maka a few steps behind, but she held her ground overall. She used her strength to deflect the blow and get enough distance for a counterattack.

“Alright!” Auntie exclaimed. “Show me what you got, girl!”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

When Kid turned over the Book’s pages to come across another entry on the Old Ones, he felt a wave of revulsion go through his frame. That was new. What was even newer was a small part of him going “Kill me now, preferably with poison, anything but translating this part,” upon reading the header:

_Excalibur._

There was that wave of aversion again.

Oh, well. Better trudge through it and hope nothing nasty pops up out of that Book.

_Excalibur._

Yup. Three times in a row. It was strange how the first line constituted of that one word though.

_Ah, apologies. I have observed that many creatures, mortal or not, have an unpleasant involuntary reaction when confronted with that name in this particular context._

Well, would you look at that. A case where Kid wasn’t the weird one. Hurray.

_But, I should be fine mentioning their name from now on. I am a seeker of knowledge. I must proceed whether the path is pleasant or not._

_Excalibur is a strange specimen. My records show he was artificially created by the witch Arachne… Yet what they embody is far older, back on when the universe was a newborn. Maybe the witch simply forced the Old One into a physical form with a specific name inspired by Arthurian legend. It would not be the first time an Old One was bound. Despite vast power, many mortals have devised cunning and ingenious ways to make an Old One bow to their whims. I would say Excalibur is such a case, yet I am aware the sword is not under Arachne’s influence; they must reside in a hidden location…_

_…Right. Enough theorizing for now._

_Excalibur is unusual in one aspect. Unlike many Old Ones, he has been observed to go out of his way to interact with humans. I am not sure if he wants to manipulate them, or if he genuinely craves for companionship. As mentioned before, he is a strange case._

_Excalibur is very powerful, even to Old One standards. Yet, it appears he cannot utilize the power himself, but has to rely on others to harness it via him… Perhaps this was due to the witch Arachne’s fiddling. I find it oddly poetic. As for the power itself, one would call it angelic, but this is a mere illusion. There are no ‘angels’ in this world. There is simply strangeness and traces of goodwill in the cosmic whirlwind of change and entropy._

A few more was written in the margins.

_They are very annoying. Even my desire of knowledge cannot put up with him. This is impressive, if not highly inconvenient._

For some reason, despite not even having met the aforementioned individual, Kid felt a deep pang of empathy for the author.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A few days after her face-off with the faculty, Maka now was a fully-fledged EAT student. The strange lady, who insisted on being called Auntie, commended the blonde’s fighting skills, though she did say there was room for improvement. While Soul was excited to find out he was pretty good at being a Weapon, Maka had a more reserved reaction. Her initial desire to find Kid was still burning strong, even though she’d made no progress.

That may change, however.

Currently, Maka was at the dungeons, the innards of the Academy. Soul was with her; the albino was looking suspiciously at the darkly-lit stone walls. Kim was in front of them.

The pink haired girl had come up to Maka and Soul at the dead of night, and told them follow her. After that, she kept looking around, and even asked for Maka to use her Soul Perception to see if anyone followed them –the blonde had no idea how Kim knew that. Still, she insisted Soul come along, just in case the pink haired girl tried something funny.

“Alright,” Kim said, as she stood in a dimly lit hallway. “We’re here.”

Maka frowned. The hallway was empty, unless you counted the dark crevices on the side… wait, were those metal bars?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Kim’s shout: “Oi, Kid! Wake up, I got ya someone!”

Maka’s breath hitched. “Kid…?”

Then a familiar black-haired head poked out of one of the crevices. Another surprised gasp followed. “Maka!”

Both parties may or may not have gotten a bit too excited after that, and raised a small ruckus, waking a grumpy Liz and causing Patty to join in on the cacophony, while Kim tried –and failed- to get them to quiet down.

“Oh my god, Kid!” Maka said for the hundredth time. She was right outside Kid’s cell, reaching in a crushing embrace for the boy on the other side, who responded with a timid hug of his own.  “What happened? That girl carried you away, and then I couldn’t find you anywhere, and then there was this creepy guy who said he had found you, but then you got kidnapped-!”

“That’s… pretty much what happened. Well there are more details, such as…”

After a lot of catching up, with Kid’s narration and with Liz filling in the gaps and providing ample commentary via the way of snarky remarks, Maka had learned about Kid’s ‘deal’ with the Head Priest to translate the strange book they had found at the Library. Maka herself shared her side of the vents. Kid frowned at the mention of the grey-haired scientist, but didn’t comment. Maybe that man had a hidden agenda Kid wasn’t aware off.

“Um, there’s one thing you haven’t explained yet…” Maka hesitantly said, to Kid’s confusion. “Your hair… parts of it are white, like lines on one side-”

“ _For-the-love-of-all-that-Is-Holy-don’t-mention-the-lines,_ ” Liz immediately hissed the moment Maka said ‘hair’, drowning out the younger girl’s words. “First he’s going to faint, then there’s going to be a self-hating rant, and I don’t have the energy for that.”

“What?” Kid asked, lost. “Liz, you shouldn’t talk over people, that’s rude. Now Maka, what did you ask? I didn’t hear you…”

“ _Don’t!_ It’s trap!” came Liz’s desperate voice.

The girl looked at the two, lost at how to respond. “Uh…How do I get you out?” Maka eventually asked. “Maybe if we try the bars-”

“You’re wasting time,” Kim cut her off. “The cells are charmed; the bars are reinforced, and won’t open unless you have the key.”

“We can’t fit through them either,” Liz grumbled.

“Yeah!” Patty spoke up. “Me and sis tried to run and transform, so we’d launch ourselves out, through the bars, but we bounced right back!” The younger Thompson rubbed her head and pouted. “I still got an Ouchy from that!”

“Wait, they’re using magic on the cells?” Soul frowned, as he turned to the pink haired girl. “I thought you didn’t get along with the Witches?”

“Never said the Academy didn’t have its fair share of hypocrites,” Kim said and crossed her arms, deflecting the question. Kid looked ready to say something, but a glare from her quickly shut him up.

“Can we get the keys then?” Maka asked.

“Not gonna happen either. Joe Buttataki is in charge of those three,” the pink haired girl said, as she played with a loose strand of hair. “Guy’s built like a truck; I’ve heard he hits like one, too.”

“There’s more than that,” Kid added. “That man is smarter than he looks, I don’t think you’ll be able to get past him. Translating the Book is very important, so it’s safe to assume he’d double down when it comes to keeping us in.”

“That sucks,” Soul said. “What do we do then? Have you guys come up with any escape plan?”

The awkward glances shared between the three captives and conspirator showed they had no such thing.

“Oh, great. So there’s nothing we can do then!” Soul grumbled, slumping against the stone wall in defeat.

Maka, who had sat down on the cold floor after her bear-crushing hug, was racking her brains for a plan, but nothing came to mind.

“It’s going to be alright,” Kid tried to reassure the two. “As long as I don’t find the part about Death, everything will be fine. We have time.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

‘Correction’, Kid thought to himself a day after. ‘We _had_ time’.

 “…I found it.”

Joe stopped whatever he was doing, and looked over Kid’s shoulder at the open book. His eyes widened, as they saw the symbol resembling three halos in three dimensional form.

The man exited the room in a hurry. Unfortunately, he did not forget to lock the door behind him. This meant that, short of demolishing a solid wall of rock, Kid had no way to escape.

The teen scowled. He shouldn’t have been so forward about it. Still, there was much he could do. He couldn’t make up a fake entry of the spot. Kid’s translations were checked and corroborated with info the Academy already knew. And besides that, the symbol at the top of the page serving as a heading was a dead giveaway- it was one of the symbols Kid was asked to translate to double-check Kid’s understanding of the strange tongue wasn’t a fluke.

Scowling, the boy quickly scanned through the page. He might as well mentally prepare himself for what was up ahead; maybe try and counterfeit some of the writing to sabotage whatever crazy plan they had.

_Death_

The rest of the entry seemed to be written in a different type of ink, as if the author had left that part blank for a long time.

_So it has come to this._

The above ominous sentence did not fill Kid with confidence.

_I know Death. Or did know. Like any other Old One, applying mortal terms as in ‘person’ is a bit finicky. I am sure you know what Death refers to. The end of life. The end in general._

_Order._

_It is with much consideration that I lay down these words. I have mentioned Old Ones cannot truly die in a sense. Yet, it is known that there is a fate worse than Death, and that the Old One of Order is aware of every single one of them. How they choose to use such knowledge varies on the circumstances. I leave the debate about ruthlessness versus strict discipline to others. It would be hypocritical of me to pass judgement, when I can feel my own sins crawling at my back._

It was at this point that Joe entered the room again, this time with the Head Priest in tow. 

_Death is… powerful. It may not be apparent at first. Appearances are deceiving, whether these be of a pale young woman, or a seemingly frail skeleton, their bones barely held together by weathered sinews. Death’s physical strength in itself is not insignificant, but not something to boast about._

_No, what should worry someone is perseverance. The problem with fighting Death is that you can win a battle, but not the war. Beating people to death is a terrible long-term strategy after all.  Persistence, though some may call it stubbornness, is key. Not to mention how demoralising it can be watching you ‘opponent’ rise after every hit._

The writing style changed. It became hasty, with many corrections and smudges.

_I am writing this while under great mental strain. There has been a battle. The conditions are strange, even stranger to what I am used to. Death has fallen._

_Death cannot die. The very contradiction itself would tear the conceivable universe on its seams. No, something else has happened. Death is not dead. They are severely weakened. As for how they are in hiding? My thoughts, my theories… I apologize for their inconvenient form._

_In Order To perceive the matters at hand with a rational mind_

_Regain Your strength, steel your resolve for the unknown._

_Peace Of Mind is an easy thing when you know how the world works._

_When Your World is changed, however, that when the fear festers._

_‘Become stronger’ your instincts will scream._

_Small And Unfit is, but the last thing you want to be._

“Why is it taking you so long?” the Priest asked, impatiently.

“It is difficult to translate. The words translate to old English,” Kid quickly said. It was partially true. The tone of the language Eibon used was highly formal and archaic, much like an old dusty scholar.

“Modern English is confusing enough in the first place,” Theodore muttered.

_Midnight comes, you sit and ponder._

_The Time when there was an order to this chaos._

_Where Demons lurked, but in a predictable way._

_Appear and disappear, the shadows now look menacing._

_To Realize the world changes without you is truly disconcerting._

_Your sense of belonging, the structure, the self-imposed rules, collapse with nothing to take their place._

_Most Apocryphal is the art of bringing up the dead, much less a dead God._

_Dreams, however, can come true of matter how far-fetched they seem._

_The Day everything changes, you may have to rethink your own place in the universe._

_When Gods Fell, who can say others didn’t fall with them, and who can say no new creature may appear?_

_Like Beasts of new, unimaginable cruelty and power._

_Facing the new order requires the old one to be brought down._

_Our Ancestors only know some things though, not all._

_Like unexpected variables, unforeseen phenomena._

_Mortal or not, there are rules to follow._

_Debris of an old god can be the womb of a new one._

_Eight, there used to be and there will always be._

_Candles And Incense must mark the passing._

_As Many may attend, though only one will come out._

_Koliva are surprisingly nutritious, you could not find a more suitable food._

_Find an isolated place, for it will be quite the event._

_The Host will not come by easy, there may be conflict._

_Life Exhausted though it may not outwardly appear so._

_Blood Of Humans, or is it so?_

_With a cursory gaze, details are lost._

_Blood Of God to relit the flame._

_Side By Side, outwardly unfitting but secretly in sync._

_Death’s Symbol, you have already seen._

_Written word can only go so far._

_Countless Times they may come, through forms may differ._

_So That to continue such cycle._

_The Old Ones have, do and will continue to exist._

_‘Walk the Earth’ is how you’ll find your answers, in the tongue where Death was, but a winged youth._

_Once_ _more_ _._

_Τρανσλειτ μι το δις τανγκ, ντεκοουντ δις σιμπλ κοουντ αντ γιου γουιλ φαιντ δε κι._

Kid dropped his pen. His head felt like it was about to burst. 

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

After Kid translated the entire section, he was quickly dismissed. The High Priest snatched the boy’s translated page the moment it was finished and fussed over it. He ordered Joe to escort Kid back to the cell, which the man obliged.

That’s how the two ended up heading through the dudgeons yet again.

Initially, Kid had tried to memorize the route they took each time between the two rooms. To his disappointment, that was a vain effort; Joe apparently changed the route each time, going through different corners, and they or may not have backtracked a few times. Their routes were disorganized and asymmetrical, and that frustrated Kid to the point where he lost any sense of direction he had. So, of course, the boy retaliated by shooting down any and all attempts from Joe at making conversation.

Not this time, however. Kid noticed they took fewer turns than normal, and that their path was straight-forward. Maybe Joe was in a hurry, wanting to get back to Theodore and examine Death’s section. Whatever the case, this eased Kid’s mood somewhat. Mind you, Kid´s time had officially run out, but at least he wouldn’t be frustrated by the labyrinth that were the Academy’s catacombs.

“Hey,” came Joe’s voice and Kid’s mood soured. Great, just when the boy hoped for some silence. “You mentioned Marie and Azusa...?”

Upon hearing these words, Kid’s frame stiffened. Of all the things to ask, and of all the times Joe could have asked... "How do you know about them?"

"We were classmates," the man stated. "We were a pretty weird class to be honest," he said, nostalgic. "There was me, the quiet one, Marie who was crushing on all the guys, and had the strength to do so literally, and Azusa as our authoritarian leader..." he let out a low chuckle. "Our lessons were a riot."

Kid scowled. "You don't say..." As much as the boy hated to admit it, that was a pretty spot on description of the women.

"So, are you going to answer my question?"

Kid didn’t respond, looking away stubbornly.

"Hey, I’m not trying to pry, just asking how you know them. I didn’t even know they were alive..."

The boy’s scowl deepened. He tugged against the restraints at his hands, a force of habit at this point, not really serving any other function than momentary distraction. “... They are my guardians.”

Joe paused. That made a twisted amount of sense. Kid had mentioned he was adopted and back at the Van, that single remark about Marie and Azusa…

The man raised an eyebrow. “They’re the ones that took you in?”

“More like found me. Then again, I was too young to remember, anyways.”

“That’s strange,” Joe commented. “I mean, I can definitely see Marie, but Azusa never struck me as the maternal type. Or showing-any-sort-of-emotion-sans-disappointment type,” the man quickly added.

“People are full of surprises,” Kid said, maybe a bit too pointedly. “For example, you don’t look like the person who would work for a death cult, willing to kidnap people.”

“Hey, you’ll be fine you know-”

“Will I, now? I’ve translated the part you wanted. There’s nothing going on for me now. Who’s to say that you won’t-!”

“Oi, calm down! We’re not…” Joe rubbed his eyes. “There’s no reason to hurt you.”

“There’s no reason _not_ to hurt me either.”

“Come on, there’s no reason to think that way,” Joe said with little conviction. Even he didn’t believe in that.

“Then how am I supposed to act? Throw my hands up and do a little dance when you find out how to use my translation to revive a dead god?!” Kid ranted, letting his grievances show. Part of the frustration came from the Book’s inability to provide any sort of clue on what the hell he was. “Congratulations, you’re about to mess with some freakishly powerful, and probably pissed off deity, _what could possibly go wrong_? The Apocalypse has never looked more enticing.”

Joe paused, looking into the distance. Eventually, the man let out a long-suffering sigh. “If nothing gets done, then we are all doomed.”

“Ok, sure fine, do your thing then,” Kid huffed. “Go head first into the battle, but I’d very much prefer staying out of the eldritch abomination death match, thank you very much.”

“It’s not all bad. People here try to make a living. It’s not all good, but we’re trying.” Joe put a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. Kid flinched under the gesture. “You’ll be fine. You’ll see. Not everyone here is as… zealous as some people,” he said, throwing a stray look to where they came from. It didn’t take much for Kid to guess Joe was referring to Theodore.

Now, that was something, Kid mused as he lifted an eyebrow. That meant not everyone here was a crazy Death-worshipper. It felt like they were having a moment of mutual understanding. Something good may come out of that.

And of course, it was at that precise moment, when Joe was distracted and Kid had let his guard down, that two shadows dropped down from the ceiling.

There was a pulse -soul energy, Kid sensed- and Joe fell down unconscious.

Kid looked hesitantly at his attackers. It was a boy, tall, older than Kid, but still young, black hair framing half his face and holding a… longsword, with a soul in it. That must have been a Weapon. The guy was a Meister then? Was that backup Maka had mentioned when she said Azusa and Marie had connections?

Holy crap, was his luck finally turning around?

The stranger lunged at Kid, sword held high. That was enough confirmation that no, Kid was still an unlucky bastard, and probably a soon-to-be sliced-up unlucky bastard.

For all it was worth, the boy stumbled back, trying get away from the incoming blade. That didn’t deter the would-be assassin, who simply reversed their grip and swung again. The second time -courtesy of Kid's back hitting the wall- they were successful, and the teen felt the metal slice right through his neck.

It didn’t hurt for the first few seconds. Surprising, judging by the sheer amount of blood that he felt running down his throat shortly after.

Kid’s first reaction -sans the cursing and screaming- was confusion. That was a minor cut, couldn't the assailant just run him through- the sword was more than capable…

The sword went on a wide arch on Kid’s right side, cutting right at his upper arm and thigh.

Oh, wait. Kid _had_ been run through, and he was fine. It’d made sense to change tactics. Blood loss was a pretty effective way to kill someone-

Hold on, how would his would-be assassins know that? The cuts were calculated. They must have targeted major arteries -there was another cut, his mind feebly noticed- and it was goddamn working, judging by how much blood he was losing at each second, and oh god the world was fading-

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Joe woke to the sound of screaming. His eyes were closed, so he had no idea of his surroundings. The voice was female, but last thing he remembered was walking with Kid, who turned out to be Marie’s and Azusa’s boy…

The man snapped his eyes open, and scrambled on all fours, adrenaline pumping through his body. He had been knocked unconscious was his first thought, and that was more than enough to put him into alarm. He hadn’t sensed any Kishin or Witches’ souls nearby, so did that mean whoever attacked was human-?

All these thoughts came to an abrupt stop when he noticed the blood.

“Holy… holy shit,” came that young female voice again.

Joe’s head snapped up, away from all the _red_ , to see a familiar duo of girls.

He recognized them both. Kim Diehl and Jacqueline O’Lantern Dupré were the EAT pair that volunteered as night guards for the dungeons. His first thought was that they were somehow involved, but his theory was quickly shot down as he examined their reactions and body language. No matter how convincing a spy was, there was always something amiss, one just had to know where to look for it. Judging by the brunette’s wide eyes and squared shoulder, the way the pink-haired girl’s knees slightly trembled, and absence of any speck of blood in both, it was reasonable to assume they were unlucky passersby.

The shorter girl, Kim, took a step back in shock. Joe could not blame them. It was not a pretty sight.

Blood, more blood than any child could or should have, flowed on the paved floor. It had flowed further through the lower crevices, making it look like a lake with many rivers flowing from it, or a twisted spider web.

The most disturbing sight was the body in the middle of it all, unmoving and drenched in red, with the soul still attached. The boy must have fallen against the floor until he hit ground in a sitting position, and then fallen over from the lack of support. His hands were still bound. Parts of his white shirt, the upper half not in contact with the floor, were also drenched in red. Did that mean he fought back?  Joe was too far away to give him a proper look. The head was pointed inwards, obscuring the neck and part of the torso. There was a gash on the arm and legs, Buttataki noted.

“No, no, no…”

The voice reminded Joe of the two students that were still with him. There wasn’t much Joe could do, besides trying to get them away from the bloody carnage.

“Hey,” he said softly.

The two students snapped out of their stupor and looked up at the man.

“You two shouldn’t be here. Go get…” His mind blanked. Who was the best person to call? Theodore would be fuming mad when he found out. Not to mention the need for an investigation and a clean-up later “Auntie,” he eventually said. That woman was one of the few things that kept the Academy united. She oversaw everyone and everything that went on, despite her having little power to make decisions.

For a mere second, the pink-haired girl’s fists were clenched and her nostrils flared, but that gone as quickly as it came. Though surprised and confused by that gesture, there was little Joe could do now besides investigate later; the girl was in the night shift of the dungeons where Kid was kept, maybe she exchanged a few words. It was against protocol, but she was young and Joe knew more than most how awkward and hormonal teenage years could be. Still, he made a mental memo to talk to her about it after this whole mess was settled.

As the pair hesitantly left the scene, muttering frankly among themselves, Joe looked back to where the body –he might as well accept it now- lay.

Careful as he could be, he slowly approached the fallen child. The worst part was when he had to step over the pool of blood, that being unavoidable if he wanted to take a closer look. He tried not to think about the blood he was stepping on belonged to a maybe-not-healthy but spirited kid just a few hours ago. A teenager who Joe may have had some degree of respect for his enduring composure during all this mayhem, not to mention this was Marie’s kid-

Joe took a deep breath. He was going to think about these thing later, when he didn’t have any more preliminary investigation to do, when he was alone and off-duty, and though he knew compartmentalization wasn’t exactly healthy, it was the best coping strategy the man had.

As he inched closer, he noticed the cut he saw on the right leg of upper thigh was also on the left leg, in a similar position. Ignoring the slight lurching of his stomach, Joe knelt down and observed the hands; he had to change his perspective a bit, but he soon found a cut in the upper and slightly inner area of the upper arm, a wound that was shared by both arms.

And, more disturbing of all, was the cut flesh below the kid’s barely visible Adam’s apple.

It didn’t take much for Joe to figure out the assailant had targeted the teen’s carotid, femoral, and brachial arteries. All three were major arteries on their own, and merely cutting one could put a human in mortal peril… to cut them all on both sides meant one thing.

This was an execution, plain and simple.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kim was _freaking out_.

Scratch that, freaking out was too simple for all the emotions she was feeling right now.

First, there was panic; when the two girls walked in the bloody scene, they were using their free reign of the Academy’s dungeons as an excuse for exploring some less-walked parts of the catacombs, in case things went South and the duo had to bail through the dungeons. Initially, they couldn’t register at first what they were seeing. There was Joe, one of the strongest people in the Academy, lying on the floor like a ragdoll with its strings cut. There was another body, and she saw it was Kid, and he wasn’t moving. Then there was the blood, _so much blood_ …

Then it was fear; fear of whoever, _whatever_ , did this to Kid. It was ruthless. There was also fear that what happened with Kid was due to her, maybe someone had found out about their nightly dates, which could mean Kim and Jackie were next.

There was a brief bout of anger as well; how the fuck that had been allowed to happen in the first place? How had Joe, a master spy of all fucking things, been ambushed? What the fuck were they doing, having a fucking heart-to-heart session in the _dungeons_?

Despite her whirling of emotions though, one thing was clear. After she and Jackie contacted Auntie and were free to bugger off, she had to tell one person and probably restrain her from revealing herself.

She had to tell Maka.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

The lower levels of the catacombs... Joe had gone down there once. He didn't want to visit that place ever again.

Maybe it was his sensitive Soul Perception picking up on the despair and hopelessness of the Souls with no place to go... Or maybe the rotting corpses stacked on top of one another in one isolated, but accessible area were a grim reminder of Joe's own mortality and eventual fate, if the Grim Reaper was never to return.

That this was what awaited the poor boy served as a reason Joe kept fighting. If the Academy's goals were achieved... the dead would get some form of closure and they wouldn't be eternally trapped in a world no longer meant for them.

These last fifteen years had been a disturbing period. The Kishin's influence spread beyond the desert it was trapped in. Joe wasn't sure why the Kishin's Madness -as people had gotten to calling the existential dread caused by their corrupted wavelength- was initially limited Nevada. Maybe it was something about needing to keep the trapped God of Death sealed away... it would explain the sudden surge of Madness one and a half decade ago. The Kishin’s range was ever spreading, with some rumours that Eurasia and Africa had now started to feel the Madness’ effects as well. North America was –mostly- a lost cause. 

The Kishin's influence had spread across Central and South America too, but thanks to the Academy, people could keep its symptoms at bay, though not for long. The number of people giving in and consuming souls kept increasing every month. It had gotten to the point that the Academy found itself overwhelmed and people with more extreme agendas, like Theodore, had used the people's dread and need of a fix-all-solution to get into power. If he was honest with himself, Joe did not see eye to eye with the High Priest. He didn't really buy the whole 'Death will fix everything' narrative.

What was worse that the way the Kishin’s madness spread was not smooth, like a circle, but in wild and unpredictable patterns. One would have expected Oceania to be one of the last places to be affected… Joe's country of origin, New Zealand, was one of the first territories to be affected by the wave of Madness after it spread overseas. The man knew first-hand what Madness did to humans. He wanted a solution as much as anyone, but he was too much of a realist -though some called him a pessimist- to think there was a sure-fire way to eliminate it. However, this went against the established narrative that once the Grim Reaper would be restored, the Kishin would meet its end. The Grim Reaper may be a God, but the Kishin was one too.

Joe shook his head. There was that pessimism again. Sure, reviving the Grim Reaper would probably not immediately fix everything, but it was something. It was a step towards defeating the Kishin… Hell, the only step they knew so far. Might as well try it out and hope it works.

Problem was, when the two sides fought against each other… others always got implicated. Like Kid. Joe wasn’t stupid. What had happened was a hit. Someone wanted Kid gone, probably so that the translation would never be finished. He didn’t know if it was the Kishin forces, or maybe some other sect going against Theodore’s agenda. What was done was done, and some poor boy paid the price.

…It was at times like these Joe felt like giving up. The thought of his homeland being back to normal helped motivate him, but it was harder to justify some of the Head Priest’s action as time went on.

He'd laid the poor boy on a cot, in one of the side rooms at the Academy's underground. Though it was a useless gesture, Joe changed Kid's bandages. The old ones were soaked, dripping with blood, so he removed them. He also felt it was inappropriate to leave the fatal wounds exposed, so he covered them with new bandages. It was with some conceptually-horrifying relief that the new bandages remained clean. Joe had also tried his best to remove any dried blood off the teen. Had it not been for the unnaturally still body or deathly pale complexion, the boy may have looked like he was sleeping. He didn’t even bother with bandages wrapped around the teen’s torso. The wound couldn’t have been healed at a short time, and he had seen more than enough gore for a day.

He didn’t even think about using Soul Perception. ‘Dead’ souls always looked disturbing to Joe. Like they were waiting for something to happen, so the souls just stood there… frozen and motionless. Joe was seeing the physical corpse. He didn’t want to see the spiritual one.

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted Joe to the Priest’s presence.

“¡Esto es un desastre!” the elder cursed in frustration, as he marched into the room.

Before the door closed, Joe saw a frustrated and impatient duo of female students move to the edge, as if trying to peer further into the room. Their efforts failed when Theodore slammed the door behind him in a rage.

“Diehl and O’Lantern escorted you?

“You mean those girls? Pah, Gertrude,” Joe recognized Auntie’s actual name, “sent them to inform me. I have her and her weapon standing guard in case whatever maniac did this decides to come back with a vengeance.”

Joe thought it was best not to mention that if that assassin came back for them, it was more likely the two students would end up dead.

Meanwhile, the older man was muttering frantically below his breath. Most of what he said went unheard, yet there was a particular string of words that caught Joe’s attention.

“Tal vez… podamos encontrar una manera…” Theodore muttered to himslelf, “traerlo devuelta… bring him back… yes, we can do that… debemos intentarlo-”

“Bring back?” Joe repeated in disbelief. “Aren’t we supposed to be against that-?”

“There is little choice! The child is essential to translating our only reliable source of knowledge! Examine the Book’s contacts a bit further, and we could discover the secret of bringing back our God. If only…”

“But, sir,” Joe hesitantly said. “That’s just… every soul deserves rest, isn’t that-?”

“When they hold the potential to reveal important secrets, they don’t get early retirement!” Theodore exclaimed. “Scour the archives! Look into every detailed ritual there is! There has to be something!” Theodore ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Maybe in that translation!”

He took out a parchment, the ink still relatively fresh, but not smudgy. Joe tried not to think how he would never see new words from that distinctive hand-writing.

Theodore’s eyes went to the last line of the page, brows furrowing as he concentrated hard on the words.

“ _Translate me to this tongue_ ,” the man slowly said, as if reading for the first time, “ _decode this simple code and you will find the key._ ” Theodore smirked in self-satisfaction; he knew a lot of languages, some dead and some still used. English, Latin, Greek Modern and Ancient, were nothing he couldn’t handle.

“Isn’t that Greek?” Joe asked. “I remember these letters from my math lessons-”

His remark was cut short, as in that moment, Kid’s hand lashed out and dug into Joe’s forearm. A chill went through the man’s spine –correction, through his soul, but he didn’t ponder too much at it for obvious reasons.

Wide, terrified, golden eyes stared at Joe before the boy's mouth moved. No sound came out though. The bandages shifted as Kids' larynx moved, trying, but failing to speak. Apparently the assailants’ slash had cut more than just the carotid.

"O-ok, o-o-ok calm down," Joe quickly said. He wasn't sure if these words were addressed to the panicking child, or his own befuddled mind. He had many questions, none of which could be answered right now.

Another trembling thin arm weakly grabbed at Joe's bicep.  Kid looked like he was at full panic mode. Buttataki empathized.

Finally, there was a choke. The teen started coughing violently. The cough turned into choking, as blood started coming out of Kid's mouth. The bandages on Kid's neck were slowly turning red. A small voice in Joe’s mind reminded him it shouldn’t be possible, the kid had lost too much blood and it wasn’t like humans could replenish their blood supplies after their bodies died.

Yes, Joe had several questions.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

That heart-attack-inducing event only escalated when Kid, seemingly regaining some form of conscience and not relying on instinct, let go of Joe’s arms and reached to his, if judging by the red bandages, still cut neck. The iciness had gone away, Joe attributing it to not being grabbed anymore by what should be a dead child who was trashing like an asylum inmate.

Then came the coughs.

Needless to say, blood was everywhere. Again.

So it was to his surprise that Theodore put an end to this mayhem, with a simple though unorthodox and plainly disturbing solution.

The Head Priest had put a pillow to the boy’s head, and _pushed,_ until the struggling came to an end.

“Why…?” Joe breathed out, shocked. “ _Why would you-?_ ”

“He had to be calmed down.” Theodore said, as he removed the now bloody pillow. “The neck was sliced yet he is still alive. Suffocation should not be any different.”

See Joe did follow that line of logic, but didn’t agree with it. Instead of arguing, which would get him nowhere and would only anger Theodore, the man carefully undid Kid’s bandages. It wasn’t as if he had extra at the moment to change them; he just had a very, very simple question. Was there a wound?

The answer did not help ease his confusions. He saw the boy’s bare neck. The wound was there, in all its bleeding glory. Still sliced, and still bleeding.

A good rule of thumb: when your questions got answered by more questions, that’s when you have a problem.

“The boy…” The Head Priest mused. “They boy… he is still alive.”

Joe did not like the way the remark was phrased.

“Indeed, he should have died.” Theodore muttered to himself. “You said Joe,” he turned to the younger man, “that his carotid artery was cut off… it is impossible for someone to heal that.”

There was little Joe could do but nod. He had not signed up for this.

“...The summon,” Theodore said, before scrambling for Kid’s translation yet again. He scanned through the document, like a man possessed, and Joe did not even think about disturbing his sudden fervour.

“Για να ανακτήσεις την χαμένη σου ευημερία όταν ο κόσμος σου γίνει μικρός και αταίριαστος,” the old man muttered in a language Joe did not know, as he scribbled down the words in another sheet of paper. “Μεσάνυχτα, την ώρα που βγαίνουν τα δαιμόνια, για να πραγματοποιηθούν τα πιο κρυφά σου όνειρα.”

There was another small pause, as the translation process continued. “Την μέρα οπού οι θεοί πέσαν σαν αγρίμια, ως των προγόνων μας ως θνητά συντρίμμια… October 31st,” Theodore said, before muttering a few other words in Spanish. “Οχτώ κεριά και άλλα τόσα κόλλυβα, μονός σου κι αθόρυβα.”

The old man’s eyes widened at the next few words. “Τον λήπτη να βρεις, ζωής εξουθενωμένος, _αίμα ανθρώπου με αίμα Θεού παρατεταγμένος_ …”

“Το σύμβολο Θανάτου γραμμένο αμέτρητες φορές, για να ξαναπερπατήσουν οι Γηραιές Οντότητες προς τις εκφορές.”

And then, new words scribbled themselves on the page, pulsing with dark magic, and Joe recognized the familiar angular and slightly slanted letters as Kid’s handwriting…

“Πρόσεχε μόνο· ο Θάνατος έχει τις πιο απρόσμενες μορφές. Πάνω του να το κάνεις, μόνο την ταχύτητα θα επηρεάσεις.”

Not needing to be asked, Theodore translated the last part.

“Only beware; Death has the most unexpected of forms. Perform this on… it, and only the speed will increase.”

Silence fell between the two men. Theodore went over the text again, whereas Joe felt a headache coming on. This was too much. He didn’t want to be involved in the God stuff, only help people-

“It is a sign,” Theodore blurted in revelation. “It all makes sense now.”

Joe looked at the man confused. If anything, it made less sense. There were new variables being introduced. That could have been meant by _unexpected form_ , whose or what _speed_ would be increased-

“He is still alive because he has not fulfilled his purpose yet!”

Yes, Joe had definitely not signed up for this. “And you think… that ‘purpose’ is to revive Death?”

“Of course! What else would it be? It is by the will of Death that the child keeps surviving such fatal wounds.  An ordinary human would have perished long ago!” Theodore exclaimed. “The hidden summon requires a host as well! And we discovered that information the moment the child’s true nature was revealed!”

Joe really, _really_ didn’t like the way this was going. “Maybe…” he said hesitantly in a final attempt to remedy the situation, “maybe that is a coincidence.”

Theodore gave the blonde man a serious look.

“When Gods are involved, there is no such thing as coincidence.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Maka!”

The girl was woken from her slumber by the constant knocks on her door. They were frantic and loud, which meant the girl could not just ignore them. Hearing a soft groan coming from above, where Soul was sleeping, Maka decided she had no choice but to open the door.

The duo was staying in the student dorms, provided by the Academy It wasn’t anything special; it was a block of small flats designated for use by Academy students. Each ‘flat’ was made up of ten bedrooms in total, with each bedroom being used by a Weapon-Meister pair, thus having a bunker bed. The kitchen was communal, same with the two bathrooms and toilets. It wasn’t cosy, but comfortable enough. If there one complaint Maka had however, was that it occasionally was too loud –a result of sharing a ‘flat’ with nineteen other teens- and the kitchen was always in varying states of chaos.

Enough about that now. What was more important was finding out who was that inconsiderate person knocking on her door at midnight, plus educating them on why doing so was a bad idea via a good old-fashioned Maka chop.

“Oh, you’re up,” Soul mumbled, and Maka looked back to see a flop of white hair poke from the covers of the bed. “Don’t wake me up unless the building’s on fire or somethin’.” And with that, he was back to snoring.

Book in tow, the blonde sleepily made her way to the door, frowning as she recognized the voice. That was Kim.

Opening the door, she saw the flushed –they must have been running- pink-haired girl and her Weapon partner outside her door.

“Finally,” Jackeline muttered, as the two girls let themselves in. The black haired girl threw a last glance at the hallway, looking for any stray pair of eyes, until she was seemingly satisfied that no one followed them and closed the door behind her.

“Don’t freak out,” was the first thing Kim said to her, which had the complete opposite effect. Whatever the pink-haired girl was about to say was bound to be shocking. Soul’s snoring paused. “You head what went on tonight?”  Maka gulped, but steeled her will and gave the girl a quick nod. They had heard the Academy was infiltrated and that someone was killed, but their soul wasn’t taken. A few brave souls had tried to get in the dungeons and see the scene for themselves, but a glare from Auntie had deflated their momentum like a needle to a balloon.

“Kid was the one they targeted.”

Maka felt her blood run cold. “You mean he’s-?!”

“Not exactly!” Kim hissed, cutting her off. “He’s alive. I think.”

“Wait, you’re serious?” Soul said as he sat up from the bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “No offense Maka, but that guy’s got the worst luck. What’d he do, break a mirror?”

Maka, however, had other things in mind than to answer to Soul’s remark. “What do you mean it’s fine?! You said Kid was the one targeted, and they said-!”

“We overheard things!” Kim cut her off again. “It’s…”

“We should sit down,” Jackie suggested. “There’s a lot to talk about.”

And they did talk about it. Kim was narrating how she and Jackie were at the dungeons for their daily guard duty –though that hadn’t explained why they were exploring the dungeons in the first place, Maka though suspiciously- when they head sounds of a scuffle. The two had paused when it was time to explain what they saw, only that there was a lot of blood and it all seemed to come from a certain black-and-recently-white-haired boy.

Soul had cursed at this point.

“That’s not all of it though,” Kim mumbled. “Joe told us to go get Auntie, and we did that, thinking we’d be free after that and see you. Fat chance,” Kim huffed. “The old hag sent us on a goose chase trying to find the Head Priest, and escort him to another part of the dungeon where Joe and… Kid were at.”

“This is when things got… stranger,” Jackie added. “We were not allowed in, so we don’t know the details, but there was a… scuffle,” she said in uncertainty.

“Joe and that other guy fought?”

“That’s what we thought. I was cheering for Joe to win,” Kim jokingly said, before sobering up. “But no. The door was closed and the wall’s made up of solid stone, so we didn’t hear exactly what went on, but…” she scrunched her face in confusion. “Kid… woke up.”

“… _Woke up_?” Maka repeated.

“Revived?” Kim shrugged, as she looked cluelessly at Jackie, who had no suggestions as well. “Dunno what to call it.”

Similarly, Soul threw a look at Maka, as if the girl had some sort of explanation for this sort of behaviour. Soul wasn’t a scholar, but he was pretty that even with the whole ‘dead Death’ thing, people didn’t just walk off fatal wounds.

“And that’s not all,” Kim added. “The Head Priest was near apoplectic when he went in, but he came out looking… satisfied?” She scratched her head. “Not sure what to call it, but the man looked happy.”

“That’s unnerving,” the only boy commented, who had heard of the old man’s reputation.

Kim nodded, and the four fell into silence. Kim and Jackie were hoping for some sort of explanation, which it seemed they weren’t going to get. Maka and Soul were still processing the information they were given.

The blonde frowned as she looked at the floorboards in thought. “Can you get me there?” she eventually said.

“Huh?” Kim looked at her as if she’d grown a new head.

“I can see souls. If I can find Kid’s…” She wasn’t sure what that information could say about how such a feat was done. But the knowledge that Kim and Jackie’s word was true would go a great length of providing her with some sort of reassurance that her friend was alive.

“Can’t you see it from here?” Jackie asked.

Maka shook her head. “My range is limited. The good thing is that I can see the souls clearly. That and I know Kid’s soul; we grew up together.”

“…’k” the undercover witch said after some hesitation. “If anyone asks, I’m giving ya a tour.”

“Because you’re such a kind person?”

Kim let out a snort. “Nah, of course not, I’ve got a reputation to uphold. Just say I don’t want you to get lost in case I tell you two to get me something.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid’s life didn’t always used to be like this.

See, a few weeks back, his life used to be relatively normal. Wake up, go to school, come back, and occasionally try to avoid the homicidal maniacs in the streets. It was familiar. It was routine. It was _organized_. There were sensible, simple rules to uphold; for example don’t go out at night alone unless you really wanted to get fucked up.

Not in this place, however. At least he hadn’t found any rules that stopped him from getting treated like a punching bag.

Case in point, he was at the dungeons again, at an unknown location even darker than his usual cell, and he was _starving_. To add to these _delightful_ circumstances, his hands and feet were chained to a wall. At least the chains allowed him some degree of movement.

Kid didn’t remember much about how he got here. The events before that were fuzzy too. He remembered there was an attempt at his life, which thankfully failed…. There was also a fuzzy memory of waking up after the attempt and before he got here, but the memory was blurred. He remembered seeing Joe’s face, so maybe it was when the man was carrying him here, or to a doctor or something…

Initially, the boy hoped the assassination was blotchy and not related to his body doing weird things again. This hope was soon crushed when he reached out to his neck to feel the smooth touch of bandages. Thing is, they felt wet, and his withdrawn hand was covered in blood.

It didn’t even feel warm; then again, the dungeons felt warmer than he was used to, so either Kid had suddenly become very cold, or they’d taken in mind Elizabeth’s constant complaints of chilliness and installed heaters.

Considering these last few hours, Kid was inclined to believe the former.

That wasn’t all though. Soon after the above, he mustered enough courage to try and partly remove the bandages, see how deep the wound was.

Being greeted with the feeling of torn flesh across his neck was not reassuring. Kid immediately removed his hand, as if he’d been stung with electricity. The wound should have hurt, it should hurt like when he was run through who-knows how much time ago… yet only now was he starting to detect a faint throb, as if his pain centre wasn’t working properly.

This was all wrong. His breaths were shallow and felt unnecessary. He couldn’t detect the faint throb of his beating heart against his inner ear.

Kid felt very, very cold.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Anything?” came a female voice belonging to a certain undercover witch.

“No,” Maka replied, her gaze seeming off, as if she was staring beyond the walls of the Academy’s hallway.

“Fucking hell,” the shorter girl cursed. “A bust again.”

Maka closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them it didn’t feel like she was seeing through the building. The blonde took a brief look around her, noticing the occasional duo of students who passed by. “People are giving us weird looks.”

“I know,” Kim grumbled. “You’re the new girl and I’m a ‘hard-working’ student. That, and we’re not supposed to know each other.”

“We can say we met through Soul and Jackie.”

“Yeah, sure,” the pink-haired girl said off-handedly. “I hope they stay safe.”

Maka frowned. “Why wouldn’t they? They don’t to worry about soul eaters.”

“Yeah, but they’re Weapons. As long as they don’t approach certain people, or factions…”

Maka’s face fell. “I guess. Soul said he’s meeting with Kilik at the entrance before lessons start, and that he invited Jackie with him since she had nothing to do.”

“I suppose that’s good enough,” Kim conceded. “That and I don’t have to worry about Jackie following me because she’s worried…”

“Why should she be worried?” Maka asked. She knew Kim had a good reputation, despite her secretive nature. That only raised her suspicions.

Kim shrugged. “Reasons. We’re not here to have a heart-opening session you know.”

The blonde frowned at the dismissal, but did not pursue the subject. She had more important things to do. “Well, this section is clear and it’s close to eight. We should head for the entrance to meet up with the others, and not be late to class.”

“’k,” Kim said dismissively, as she turned back and followed Maka’s lead.

The walked in silence for a while. They were almost there, when Kim noticed the hallway was empty and that they could talk freely.

“So, a question,” she said, and followed up before Maka could say anything. “I want you to confirm something.” Truth to be told, she had many questions, both for the situation at hand, and about Maka and Soul, but one thing at a time.

The blonde frowned, but nodded. “What is it?”

“What the hell is up with Kid?”

Maka almost stopped midway. She didn’t answer immediately. “What do you mean?” There were many things ‘up’ with Kid, but she wasn’t about to share them with a girl she knew little about, even if she claimed to be heling Kid. Truth be told, she didn’t have any reason to mistrust her… but Maka was in dangerous territory, and she wasn’t a naive little girl. Last thing she wanted was give information to a potential enemy.

Not that she had any idea what information that would be. Lots of things had happened since the attack at Kid’s home, and she had to revaluate a lot of things she though she knew about Azusa, Marie, hell, even her own dad, especially Kid with all the things that were going on with him and the Academy.

She knew Kid was different. At first she didn’t mind because they were both different in the same way; they both could do Soul Perception, and Maka liked that she could talk about it with a peer. It was more fun, since they both had their limitations and were new at this, unlike the adults who gave her mostly concrete answers on all her questions. Maka liked working and using her intellect to get answers, instead of just having her questions answered straight away. Then, however, they were other things. She already had that talk with Kid’s guardians and the others but still… she didn’t think Kid had the answers too, which must be hard. Maka would hate it if she didn’t know what was going on with her, puberty notwithstanding.

As she expected, Kim was not satisfied with her answer. “Don’t play the dumb blonde act on me!” The shorter girl snapped, as Maka’s cheeks reddened, and her hand hovered ominously over the book she was carrying with her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Maka hissed. “And are you insinuating I’m dumb-?!”

Their bickering continued even when they reached the main entrance. A group with Soul and Jackie approached them, only for their faces to fell when they heard the two arguing.

Needless to say, it was causing quite a commotion.

Soul sat back, with Jackie doing the same. Looks like both of their Meisters were pretty stubborn –and maybe a bit easily riled-up, but he wasn’t going to say that out loud.

“Catfight?” said a student with blonde hair, dressed in a shirt with only one button closed. His pants were an outrageous hue of purple with a square pattern that gave Soul a bit of a headache.

The albino grimaced. “Kind of,” he said when Maka aid something along the lines of ‘“I got one of the highest marks for both my practical and theoretical EAT exam!”

The blonde practically glowed at that comment. “Miladies, do you require _Hero_ to restore your honour-?!”

“Buzz off!” and “This is between us!” coming from Kim and Maka respectively quickly shut him off. The two soon continued their verbal barrage.

“Not my fault you got a stick up yours, blondie!”

Maka took in stride as she crossed her arms. “Ha! At least I don’t have the personality of a Witch!”

Kim’s expression briefly faltered before adopting a feral scow. “That’s it! You’re dead, girlie! Jackie and I are gonna burn you to a crisp!”

“Oi!” Soul spoke up. “Threatening Maka is not cool, dude.”

“Yeah! Soul and I are gonna cut you in half!” Maka said.

“Getting me involved in your fight isn’t cool either,” the albino commented from the background.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

It was several hours later that Kid felt a soul approach him. In that duration, he’d briefly fallen asleep, only to wake disoriented again. He wasn’t sure if he dreamed, since all he ‘recalled’ was a never-ending dark abyss… his mind probably gave up trying to form a dream, and that was equivalent of TV static. He hoped.

On a positive side, the familiar signs of life had returned to him. The dungeons were chilly as always. His toes and fingers felt a bit colder when compared to the rest of his body, as they should be. What little traces of blood dripped from the bandages were warm.

He was still hungry, though the feeling had settled into a dull ache, much like the wounds on his neck. As for other wounds, he checked his upper arm and leg, but found none. At least that was expected.

A strange feeling bubbled in his chest. Maybe it was anger, or maybe it was an aggressive form of nostalgia, as in either-I-see-my-family-again-or-heads-start-rolling. Combined with the unsettling feeling he felt from his very being when he ‘woke up’ at the scientist's lab, which intensified after the previous incident, Kid felt something ancient inside him beginning to wake from the slumber.

Had he been more lucid, he may have rolled his eye at the flowery description, but goddammit he was tired, stressed, and ready to pounce on the first unlucky soul which gave him even a sliver of an opening.

So yeah, that was his life now.

Ah, the soul was coming closer. He could see it’s blue hue, which did little to put him at ease.

A familiar face appeared from the edge of the hallway. Kid’s body tensed. He was right about not being reassured that the soul was human.

“Oh,” came the deep voice belonging to Joe. “You’re awake.”

“Evidently,” Kid muttered, ignoring the hoarseness his throat felt.

“And you can talk…” the man mysteriously muttered, and briefly averted his gaze.

That confused Kid. Joe was keeping a distance, despite the fact that Kid was bound. The boy’s chains from the wall were about a meter in length, yet the man was standing a good three meters away.

Now that Kid took a good look, he saw Joe was shaken. His hands were clasped, shoulders were tense and usually serene expression was drawn.

Had Kid _scared_ Joe?

“Um,” the man started eventually, and Kid frowned. The man didn’t _stutter_. “I take it you remember what happened?”

“It’d be hard not to.” Kid tried hard to sound non-confrontational. He failed. “I’m still bleeding.”

Joe cursed. Another unusual behaviour. “I should’ve gotten someone to look after it.” he said when he saw the fresh bloodstains on Kid’s shirt.

“Does that mean you’re not going to do so now?”

“Um, well,” Joe stuttered again. “I have been given orders not to.”

Kid couldn’t help but sneer. “And who’s the genius who decided to leave an open wound untreated?”

“Theodore.”

The Head Priest. So, _he_ had seen it.

…This couldn’t possibly be good.

“You’re…” Joe eventually said. “You’re a weird one.”

Kid would have laughed if he wasn’t in such a shitty situation. “Really? Being able to translate the Book of Eibon and surviving after being run through with a sword hadn’t tipped you off?”

“You were _run through_?”

“You saw the wounds,” the boy blankly replied.

“I did, but I thought they were a nasty hit, not that you were literally _run through_ -”

“I guess that doesn’t matter now. The wounds have healed.”

_“What?”_

At this point he was bound to give the man a heart attack, Kid mused with a hint of amusement. There wasn’t much reason for keeping this a secret anymore. “See for yourself.”

“No offense, but I’d rather keep my distance,” Joe said. He did come closer, though he made sure to stay outside of Kid’s grabbing range.

The boy huffed. “I’m not undressing. It’s cold in here, and I’m already uncomfortable enough.”

“For crying out kid,” Joe sighed, as he brought a hand to rub his temple.

The teen frowned when he noted five scratched at the man’s forearm. Their pattern resembled a human hand. “You were attacked.”

Joe looked up, and then followed Kid’s gaze to the five still red bruises. His face turned to an unreadable mask when he looked up to face the boy again.

“So, who was it that did this to you? I’d be sure to send them a gift basket.”

Joe didn’t respond immediately. “You don’t remember?”

Kid’s face fell. He didn’t remember seeing Joe get assaulted, despite how pleasant such a memory could be.

“You did this,” Joe stated.

There was a pause.

Maybe Kid should have been more shocked. The dull throb at his neck prevented him from being too alarmed. His memory of the last few hours wasn’t the best.

To confirm the man’s words, Kid looked at his hands. His right one was heavily stained in blood, from the time Kid had inspected the bandages on his neck. As for his left hand… There were small flakes of dried book between his fingernails.

“How?”

“When you… woke up, a few hours after you were… attacked.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Obviously,” the man whispered to himself, before speaking up. “No hard feelings.”

Kid ignored him. “So that’s how you found out.”

The man nodded.

“I remember seeing your face,” Kid added.

Joe gulped. Another strange gesture. What was he so worried about now?

“Do you remembered what happened after that?”

“…No.” The boy switched his gaze to Joe. “Should I?”

The man practically jumped, but remained silent.

Taking his silence as ‘Best for you if you don’t’, Kid switched topics. “So, from a scale of one ten, how screwed am I?”

Many emotions went through Joe’s face. After a deep breath, the man regained enough composure to say the following words with a mostly straight face. “The Head Priest wants to use you as a sacrifice to summon Death.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Oh. _Wonderful_.” One could practically feel the poison dripping off Kid’s words. “Remember when I said I wanted to stay away from the two sides duking it out, so that I don’t end up dead or worse? _This is exactly what I was talking about._ ”

Joe didn’t answer. His face scrunched up in an unfamiliar expression and he turned around with the intent of walking away from Kid.

“Wait!”

Joe shouldn’t have stopped. These last few hours were affecting his judgement. He turned around, cursing himself in the process.

The boy wasn’t keeping it together very well. The way his jaw was clenched showed the mental effort he spent trying to keep his expression neutral.

“Ma...” he made a false start. “Liz and Patty,” Kid eventually said. “How are they?”

“I haven’t seen them yet,” Joe answered. He shouldn’t stay here for long, he hated the way he felt right now.

“Can...” Kid stopped himself, as his voice came out hoarser than he would like. The boy took a deep breath. “What are you going to tell them?”

Joe wasn’t supposed to say anything. Theodore had forbidden him to divulge their plans.

With that in mind, Joe turned around and walked away, biting his tongue as he ignored Kid’s pleas for him to answer.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kim cursed herself, as she took up her night post with Jackie in tow. It’d been a few days after the assassination attempt, and she and Maka weren’t making any progress. On a level, she expected it; they hadn’t even started exploring the dungeons yet, and if there was one place where the Academy kept its darkest secrets, it was in this labyrinth of underground tunnels. The problem was that students didn’t have permission to traverse through them, with rare exceptions being Kim and Jackie with their posts, yet even then they had permission for only a small part of the dungeons.

They could try to do so at night… Maka could use her Soul Perception to detect other people in the dungeons. But what if they stumbled across someone with a greater skill in Soul Perception, someone who had a greater reach than Maka? Joe was an obvious candidate, though the man lately seemed to be very distraught…

Whatever. She could run this by Maka. If the girl insisted on going over by herself, then she was free to get lost and wither away due to starvation, or even worse, get captured.

Kim looked over at the cells. Even if the undercover girl agreed to come with Maka, it wasn’t like she couldn’t do when she was on guard duty, with the excuse of going after the intruder. Plus, she didn’t have to worry about the sisters escaping.

The day after the attack, when Kim had gone down as a guard, a furious Liz and worried Patty basically demanded her to tell them why Kid never arrived. Kim tried to stall, as she wasn’t sure what the hell was going on at the time, and she was tired, but Liz’s endless tirade had caused Kim to snap and basically all, but say that she was pretty sure Kid was dead, and on the rare chance he wasn’t, he was out of their reach. That shut them up quickly. Sort off. They ignored her for the rest of the night, Liz cursing under her breath, with the younger sister being strangely silent.

A few days later and the situation hadn’t improved much; the two sisters didn’t talk to her, which Kim didn’t really care. She had enough on her plate to care about the two giving her the silent treatment.

“Hey.”

Kim frowned. That was the first time one of the sisters attempted to talk to her.

She walked closer to the cells, trying to identify which one of them spoke to her. Upon seeing the older sister snoring in her makeshift bed, Kim figured out it was the younger one who talked to her.

“Please don’t wake up sis,” came the high pitched voice. Kim frowned. She didn’t know the two well, but she was pretty sure the younger was supposed to be an air-head.

“Hey,” the witch greeted back. As she moved closer to the younger’s cell, –her name was Patty, right? - she frowned.

The girl… her eyes weren’t quite right. They were cold and bloodshot, and very much didn’t belong to a bubbly young teen.

Kim didn’t like it. She didn’t like the way they were looking at _her_.

“Can you do little ol’ me a favour?” Despite the childish choice of words, the delivery was a dull monotone. She hadn’t even blinked.

“What…?” Kim shook her head. She had to keep it together. She was a Witch surrounded by people who killed Witches! Her everyday life was supposed to be much scarier than an imprisoned girl. “What do you want?”

“A favour,” the girl blankly replied.

Then again, weren’t these two known for eating souls? If so, it was normal for them to be scary, right? Patty, if that was her name, probably had a few too many blue orbs, and it was starting to show through.

“What kind of favour?”

Patty came closer. One of her hands clasped the cells bars. Kim definitely did not take a step back.

“I want you to break me and sis out.”

Kim’s shock at this blatant request briefly overtook her worry. “I can’t do that-!”

“ _I said be quiet_.” _That_ cut off any other remark Kim wanted to make. “Sis is very tired and very sad, and she needs her rest.”

“O-ok. I’m not gonna shout.” Another deep breath. “But I can’t break you out.”

“Why not?”

“The cells are enforced with magic.”

“You’re a Witch.”

“I can’t use magic carelessly,” Kim hissed.

“Why not?”

“I…” Kim huffed in indignation. “I’ll be found out. The only reason I’m protected right now is because of Soul Protect. It disguises my Soul Wavelength to that of a normal human’s. However, that means I’m limited to very, very basic magic. If I wanted to get you out, I’d have to perform a ritual, and that’d take a lot of magic-”

“I don’t care,” Patty bluntly said, cutting the Witch off. “Do it.”

“I just explained to you why I can’t!” Kim hissed, careful not to be too loud. “I’ll be found out.”

“So?”

Kim was near apoplectic. “So, _I don’t want to be found out_ ,” she spelled out. “If I do, the people here are going to catch me and kill me.”

Patty unchanging expression showed that the girl didn’t care about that at all. “Then run away after you do it.”

“I _can’t_ -”

“You didn’t come here with no backup plan, did you?”

“What my plans are is none of your business- “

“So you won’t get us out?” Patty cut her off again. For a brief moment, Kim was thankful that the girl’s cold eyes were obstructed by her blonde bangs.

“No!” Kim hissed back.

“Well. In that case we have a problem.” She looked up, revealing these ice cold eyes, and now they also gleamed with killer intent.  “And sis has taught me how to deal with _problems_.”

“You… you’re imprisoned. You can’t hurt me.”

“But we won’t be in prison forever. And you’re not the only guard we have.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?!”

Patty’s face turned into a cold grimace. “If you can’t do me such a small favour, I don’t know if I can keep your secret, Kimmy…”

The Witch took a step back. Her heart was beating erratically, and cold sweat covered her body. “You wouldn’t…”

“Would you bet your life on that?”

No, Kim realized. No, she wouldn’t.

Patty sighed, as she played with one of her strands of hair. Kim was momentarily thankful she didn’t have that cold gaze pinned on her anymore.

“I just have to wait until the afternoon guard gets here. They are another group of students. They don’t talk to us much, but we can hear them when they talk to each other.” Patty let go of her stray strand, and looked at Kim again. “Their names are Ox and Harvar...”

Kim didn’t answer. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

Patty looked blankly at her. “Oh. Do you know them?” She tilted her head. “I wonder how they’ll react. Even if they decide to keep it a secret there are more guard shifts, and some of them are staff members-”

“Enough!” Kim hissed. Her fists were clenched, and she would like nothing more than to open the cell, and beat that blonde bimbo to death. How dare she threaten her so casually, when her life was already in danger, when she could have nothing to lose-?

“Then do it.” Patty hadn’t reacted to Kim’s little temper tantrum. “If you don’t want to help me, why would I keep up my end of the deal?”

“I already explained I can’t-” Kim saw Patty sigh, as the girl began retreating further into her cell. “Wait!”

The younger Thompson stopped her retreat, turning to face the undercover Witch once more. “Have you changed your mind?”

“I need time,” Kim quickly said. “…I can get you out, but I need time. I need a few days to organize how Jackie and I are going to get out…” she paused and sniffed. Goddammit she wasn’t going to cry! She knew she couldn’t keep this life forever! It wasn’t like this place was this special! They could find another place to leave. She could hide her identity. Maybe they could find a boat travelling to Europe, return to other hers or Jackie’s homelands… Jackie didn’t particularly want to go back to France, and Kim remembered too little of Germany, having only faint glimpses of Frankfurt, but she was running of options…

“Stop snivelling.”

Oh, yes, she was going to enjoy beating the shit out of that blonde bitch when she got the chance.

“Shut up. As I said, we’re gonna need time. Give me a few days. I can get you out, then we can steal a car, and get out of the city, preferable go to a different country and part ways there-”

“We’re not leaving now,” Patty cut her off.

“What? Then what the hell did you blackmail me for?”

“ _I said_ ,” Patty spelled out, “we’re not leaving without Kid.”

The Witch paused. Her face turned into a grimace. “So you have no issues threatening to kill me, but want to save some random boy you don’t even know that well?”

Patty didn’t respond.

“I’m actually surprised.” Oh, yes, Kim was making her frustrations show, making her voice as possible as they could be. “You actually care? Or do you wanna save him, so you don’t feel like more of a monster?”

Patty’s gaze went colder. Kim didn’t care at this point.

The two glared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

“Tough shit, I don’t know where he is. So the only thing I can get is bust you out, and let you fend for yourselves.”

“Then find out.”

“I’m not your personal lapdog, girlie!” Kim shot back.

“Then you admit to being a Witch?”

Kim halted. Goddammit it, Patty had her by the proverbial balls. As long as she had that secret, the young Thompson could blackmail her into doing anything.

“Find out where Kid is. When you do, tell us, and bust us out.”

Kim hated this. She hated the feeling, the fact that this little blonde bitch could command her like she was a servant.

Still, there wasn’t much she could do. Kim nodded though every part in her body betrayed how much she despised the girl in the prison.

Patty didn’t seem to care. She saw Kim’s nod, and reciprocated. “See you tomorrow.”

And just like that, the blonde retreated further into her cell.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Theodore had wasted no time. Two days after the attack, there was announcement for everyone to be in attendance at midnight on the eve of October 31st. The speech was lengthy and leaned dangerously close to purple prose. Yet, the main message was concise, final and to some, fear-inducing.

“ _Death will rise once again.”_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Halfway across the country, a panicked Resistance was trying to get its shit together, and utterly failing. Once the announcement had been made public, all bets were off; rumours spread as to how, what, when, and where, yet no one knew for sure. Tezca contacted every spy, every sleeper cell in the Academy that was loyal to him. Besides a few titbits of info that the ceremony was bound to take place on October 31st, he had little idea as to what was going to happen.

It didn't take much to figure out how; when Clay and Hoshi had returned after their cover was blown –despite not being detected by the enemy- the two mentioned they overheard the conversation Kid had with Buttataki. It seems as if they were too late, and that the passage about Death had already been translated. This frustrated Tezca to no end. Not only had he failed his most important goal, but also an innocent life had been taken in vain, and he was responsible for it. Hoshi said he hadn’t stayed long enough to confirm the kill, but when he mentioned the areas he’s stuck, Tezca concluded there was no way a person could survive that.

So, that was partly how, and he already knew when. Now all he needed to figure out was where, specifically where in the Academy, and what exactly would happen in the ritual. Would it require a host? Were there rare materials needed? If so, could Tezca block Theodore’s access to them in order to stall the man and miss on the date?

So far, he’d instructed all his agents to inform him of all unusual behaviour, i.e. areas where access had been denied for no good reason, changes in the daily schedule, anything that could indicate how Theodore planned for it.

Worst case scenario, if he didn’t have enough information to stage an operation… there’d be an all-out assault. Theodore’s goals could endanger not just him and the Academy, but potentially the entire planet.

Despite his frustration, however, all he could do is wait. One positive note was that after the announcement, Marie, Azusa, and Spirit had come forwards with their ‘plan’ of getting Spirit’s daughter, Maka, into the Academy. Tezca had already given ordered for his agents to approach her, and relay any extra information she could provide. Now was not the time to cherry pick.

Unbeknownst to Tezca, however, there was more the motley crew of adults held in secret. Case in point, Stein was going through one of these ‘secrets’ right now, pilfering through a folder of yellowed sheets, filled with slanted and messy handwriting. Thankfully, the writing was in English, so the scientist did not have to puzzle over decoding an unknown language.

One thing Stein loved yet hated, were mysteries. He hated the knowledge they kept away from people like him, but also loved decoding their secrets. That was why he became a scientist in the first place; a thirst for knowledge, and not enough self-control to stop his questions and thoughts wonder.

Currently, there were two, or rather one interconnected mystery he was trying to solve. It was hard, but he didn’t mind the challenge.

Case in point, the notes on the Book of Eibon. He had been going through them since he arrived here, careful to keep them away from prying eyes –thank his Soul Perception for allowing him to sense potential intruders. It was and long and boring process, since any of the notes were written in broken English, with terrible syntax and even worse spelling, as if the translator(s) were losing their minds through the process.

As for the information he was uncovering… it was intriguing. No, that wasn’t the correct word.

It was _exhilarating_.

The author, Eibon, did not mince their words. They –Stein wasn’t so presumptuous as to assume a gender-  stated they would take about old and forgotten secrets about this word, and by Whatever Powers May Be, they did pages after pages were filled with seemingly nonsense, yet, if one could filter out the unnecessary letters, see whenever a character was written in a certain slant, or a had a certain serif, they’d get the big picture, and what a picture that was.

Stein was sure that the secrets spewed forth would send a good amount of his church-goers at his place of birth, Naples, scurrying for their holy books. The same people who had whispered behind his family’s back, too perturbed by a young boy’s fascination with the macabre… he did not miss Geneva, and did not have any memories of Naples. It wasn’t a bad thing. Countries went a bit too gung ho in anyone they perceived to deviate even a little bit from the mental norm.

Oh, yes, Stein was going to enjoy cracking this mystery way too much.

All that talk about Gods, the Kishin´s Madness… all that recent chaos with the plans to revive Death… the planet was in a state of unrest. Only time could tell if it would eventually stabilize, or blow up, literally or metaphorically.

Until then, he’d enjoy theorizing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kim: I found out her surname, Diehl, is an old family name originating from Frankfurt.  
> Stein: Dr Frankenstein was born in Naples but raised in Geneva. That’s the backstory I’m going for Stein too, only that at some time during his childhood he travelled to Mexico and attended the DWMA
> 
> I'm not even gonna pretend next update will be on time.


	13. A Case Against Unnecessarily Dramatic Rituals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BREXIT RANT MODE ON – MAXIMUM SALTINESS AHEAD *POLITICAL OPINION SO GET YOUR STRAWMEN READY FOLKS* *updated because I'm a ranting poopyhead*  
> Leave Voters can go fuck off right now (Remain voters, you're cool). An absolute disgrace that the UK voted for a Brexit, and the results are already being seen, with the pound sinking harder than the violinists on the Titanic. I'll be the first to admit that the EU has its fair share of problems but that's why you got to fix it from the inside and not act like a petulant child and throw a hissy fit.  
> "lol, the pound drop doesn't matter, we'll recover" NO YOU FUCKING WON'T, YOU WON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE FUCKING COMMON TRADE MARKET YOU BLOODY WANKERS. "The UK has always been strong, other countries will always want to trade with us" THE FUCKING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SAID THAT TRADE WITH THE EU IS MORE IMPORTANT AND ANY TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH THE EU WILL BE PRIORITIZED OVER TRADES WITH THE UK, YOU'RE NOT AN EMPIRE ANYMORE LADS.  
> Best of luck to the people of Northern Island and especially Scotland, their Remain Voters were a point of rationality, dry wit and compassion throughout the whole thing. Hope you guys manage to disentangle yourselves from the Madness that is over half of England (I'm not even going to pretend to understand why over half of Wales voted to leave, like do they know that most of their funding comes from the EU?) Fucking hell. To the Remain Voters of England and Wales, I cannot imagine how sucky things must be. Move to Scotland and NI while you still can? D:  
> Tl;dr, Fuck me, and fuck the Leave voters for basically kicking me out from a country I would actually like to stay and live. Bloody cunts. Hopefully I'll be able to finish my degree in time and fuck right off to Australia or something. Same hustle, better weather.  
> *Let's continue with our scheduled programming*  
>  
> 
> So, did you get the hidden chant? If not here’s the full thing, with each line translated in a rather liberal way:  
> Για να ανακτήσεις την χαμένη σου ευημερία όταν ο κόσμος σου γίνει μικρός και αταίριαστος, ( = To regain your lost serenity, when your world becomes small and unfitting,)  
> Μεσάνυχτα, την ώρα που βγαίνουν τα δαιμόνια, για να πραγματοποιηθούν τα πιο κρυφά σου όνειρα, ( = Midnight, the time when demons appear, to fulfill your darkest secrets,)  
> Την μέρα οπού οι θεοί πέσαν σαν αγρίμια, ως των προγόνων μας ως θνητά συντρίμμια, ( = The day the Gods fell like beats, before our ancestors like mortal debris,)  
> Οχτώ κεριά και αλλά τόσα κόλλυβα, μονός σου κι αθόρυβα, ( = Eight candles and as much koliva ( = funeral food), alone and quietly,)  
> Τον λήπτη να βρεις, ζωής εξουθενωμένος, αίμα ανθρώπου με αίμα Θεού παρατεταγμένος, ( = Find the host, life exhausted, blood of Humans and blood of God side by side,)  
> Το σύμβολο του Θανάτου γραμμένο αμέτρητες φορές, ( = Write the symbol of Death countless times,)  
> για να ξαναπερπατήσουν οι Γηραιές Οντότητες προς τις εκφορές. ( = For the Elder Beings walk the Earth once again.)
> 
> SAKURA YOU ARE AN AWESOME BETA AND I WILL LOVE YOUR FIGHTING SCENES FOREVER

The next week went by very quickly. Maka and Kim doubled their efforts, scouring nearly every part of the Academy, even venturing into the upper layers of the dungeons.

“Heya,” Soul waved at them, as a tired Maka and a grumpy Kim made their way into his and Maka’s bedroom. Soul initially insisted on accompanying his Meister along, but Kim had swiftly shot his proposal down, saying in no uncertain terms that having an extra person would only draw more suspicion to them. Soul initially had taken offense, and then the two started arguing in a manner similar to cavemen.

After that, things mellowed out, mostly from Soul’s side. The boy still worried and hated himself for not being useful, even if he and Jackie did provide fake alibis about Maka and Kim being together and doing girly stuff on either of their dorms.

Speaking of which, since Maka was absent for a few hours per day, Soul had taken out to hanging with the other Weapon of their group, Jackie. He didn’t mind her company, though he found her a bit too stiff and serious. Still, he empathized with her nervousness, and joked that his worry caused his hair to become even whiter. Jackie had been amused, and the two did small talk every now and then.

“Nothing,” Maka said, as she plopped into her bed and let out a groan.

“Of course we didn’t find him, we only went through the upper levels…” Kim grumbled, biting her nail.

“Then why are we even trying at all the other places?”

“Because, I need time to organize our excursions! I can’t have us sneaking on the lower levels randomly. I have to find out the guard patterns, who goes where and make sure that damned Priest stays in his damned room for the night.”

“Any progress on that?” Soul said, cutting off Maka’s remark. He did best when diffusing tensions between the two; for some reason, Kim was getting crankier by the day.

“I have a date, but it’s too close to October 31st for our comfort,” the girl said, looking away and putting her hands on her hips.

“That’s on Friday, right?”

Soul grimaced. “And today is already Saturday…”

“Yup. Only day I see a clearing is _on_ Friday.”

Maka looked up from her bed. “That’s the same day as the ritual! Even if we find Kid, what if we can’t get him out-?!”

“You think I haven’t realized that?” Kim snapped. “And if we don’t get him out, I’m fucking dead…” she mumbled to herself.

“What was that?” Maka piped up.

“Nothing, nothing, thinking out loud,” Kim waved them off.

Maka frowned, but went back to her thoughts. Even if they did find Kid on Wednesday, even if they managed to get him out…what then?

Her gaze fell on her mattress; below which she had hidden a small box. If one were to open it, they’d find a bunch of girly magazines and other trinkets… however, when they went past that, there was a high frequency radio, the ones used for long range communications. Azusa had given it to her, the woman being crazily prepared as always. She hadn’t used it yet, not since she didn’t have anything new to say to them… The adults probably tried to contact her, but Maka had kept the system shut, not wanting anyone to stumble in her room and discover it…

But now, it seemed like it was time to use it.

“Is there any other area we’ve missed?” Maka said to Kim.

The pink haired girl stopped massaging her temple and shook her head. “Positive. We’ve searched the entire city. The only place we haven’t been yet are the lower dungeons.”

Maka nodded at the confirmation. By order of elimination, they knew where Kid was kept. So, even if Maka and Soul couldn’t infiltrate the place on their own, they’d have to call those who could.

Kim must have caught on to her thought, as she regarded the blond. “You planning something?”

Maka’s frowned deepened. She didn’t want Kim to know anything more than that she was Kid’s friend. However, if her plan were to work, she’d had to let the girl in the know-how.

The blonde looked up at Kim. “There’s one thing we can do…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Lo and behold, today was October 31st.

The altar… it was intimidating. It was a twisted merge of nature and human engineering. The room itself was shaped like a cave, with sharp edges and giving off an ominous feeling of isolation and forced serenity. The air was thick with humidity, the cold seeping into Kid’s bones. Torches with bases made of bones and skulls from where flames shed a light on the carved walls lined the entrance and the far end of the altar. Their light was not strong enough, filling the room with dark spots, with the ceiling being hidden by the abyss. As for the altar itself… it was surrounded by water. A shallow mossy canal, too ethereal to be man-made, split in two at the end of the cave, forming a crude imitation of an island.

Three steps protruded from the altar. The one at the bottom merged with the river, being half submerged and covered in moss. The other two were more presentable, the stone having being flattened with perfect precision.

The back of the altar was made up of an impressive display of lore; a marvel of decoration, had one ignored the deathly myths and twisted scenes it depicted. A large part was covered by colorful embroidered heavy cloth that draped across the high sharpened edges. They were parted on both ways like curtains with a slight angle, so that when closed they would hide the altar from view.

The altar itself… it wasn’t an outstanding structure. It was a simple rectangle, with minimal decoration, made entirely of bones. Most looked like they came from humans. Others… did not.

The surface looked smooth though. At least that’s what Kid had thought until he had been dragged onto it and felt myriads of bones prick his back. Though he’d never admit it, he might have let out a small yelp.

The boy couldn’t see the faces of the two people that escorted him, as they were obscured by a dark brown cloak. Their souls were blue, so at least Kid knew they were human. They smelled strongly of incense and their grips were strong. Not that Kid attempted to escape. Both used their free hand to point a dagger at his throat and another at his back. For all his fast healing, Kid knew that rushing out wild result in a cut throat and a damaged spine, with him possibly blacking out for a few hours.

On the bright side, things did not suck for Kid as much as they did a few days ago. For example, he had actually been fed. Admittedly, the food was peculiar; he didn’t know why, but all he was given was boiled wheat. It was surprisingly sweet, but still. Boiled wheat. Not really a healthy diet.

At this point though, he shouldn’t complain; getting some food was better than getting no food at all. Especially when it wasn’t food that tasted horribly, or just stale. However, there was something about that particular food that struck him as off…

Oh well. It’s not like he didn’t have any reasons to be given a weirdly specific thing to eat. October 31st was here, the date looming over him like a guillotine. Besides, he had more important things to worry about than food. So far he hadn’t been able to find a way to escape; the chains he was bound too were strong, despite their rusty appearance. Had he not his fast healing, his wrists would be full with bruises from all the pulling Kid did.

What annoyed him was that no one had visited him until now. Sure, he wasn’t in any mode to talk to Joe or, heavens forbid, Theodore, but it was preferred than complete isolation. Hell, any information he could get about his situation would be a godsend. Damn Joe and his one-liner.

Honestly, the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Kid could guess he was ‘Chosen’ because of that little unintentional resurrection trick he pulled a few days ago, that much was obvious. That was all that he knew though; besides the date and a guess at the reason, he had no idea how the whole thing would go. Ideally, Kid would have to be moved, which would give him an opportunity to escape, or at least buy himself enough time until… something happened. Honestly, the flashier the ritual, the better for Kid, since he’d have more chances to sabotage the whole thing. Maybe he could even delay it enough so that midnight passed and the ritual couldn’t be performed. Maka must have heard about what was going to happen, so Kid hoped she had called for help.

Kid was dragged and bound on the main altar. Heavy chains wrapped around his hands and feet. A thinner but just a heavy set wrapped across his throat and kept Kid’s head firmly back. 

It was cold too. The teen had been stripped of all clothing, save for his trousers for the sake of modesty. The cold humid air drafts ran across exposed skin, making him shiver slightly.

Closing his eyes, Kid took a deep calming breath. It wasn’t too late, he had some plans, something will - _had to_ \- work.

He felt a presence close to him, a familiar soul.

“Joe.”

“…Hey,” the man humorlessly said.

“So.” Kid started. “I don’t suppose I could ask for your help at this point.”

Joe didn’t answer.

Kid turned his head at the entrance where he sensed several blue souls, a certain one among them. Kid hadn’t known when his Soul Perception had gotten so accurate that he could guess a person’s identity, but this was the least of his worries. “He’s coming.”

“You’re right,” Joe said, his voice strained.  Whether being right was in account of Theodore approaching, or Kid’s unfair treatment, neither Kid nor Joe knew. “You’re right.”

A few other robed figures appeared along with the Head Priest, their faces hidden. Kid could see the souls, not that it helped much; they were all blue. They were all human. At one time, Kid would find that reassuring. The blue ones used to be safer than the red ones.

“Time?” Theodore snapped at Joe.

“11.30, sir.”

“Need to hurry with the preparations.”

“You should behead me, impaling doesn’t really do the trick,” an exhausted Kid wryly commented. He was inwardly hoping the old man would take the bait and they’d start squabbling, giving Kid some extra time to act, or extend his odds of someone coming to the rescue.

The High Priest remained silent.

Well, fuck him then, time for plan B. If verbal attacks didn’t do the trick, Kid would go for the physical approach.

He pushed against the chains holding on the altar, feeling the cold metal press against his skin. The chains were old but sturdy. Kid braced his back, the prickles from the bone fragments intensifying, while the boy pushed harder against the chains, pulling them taut.

The metal held strong. Kid pulled harder, like a man possessed. His wrists were hurting, they were certainly bruised, maybe even bleeding, but he had to get out, he had to escape.

Something in his wrists popped and Kid found himself in a world of pain. The boy yelled, snapping out of his delirium, his hands falling lifelessly to the altar. There was not one, but two sources of pain, both from his wrists. They weren’t bleeding, but every sensation felt like a thousand needles jamming through them.

Dammit, getting his neck sliced hurt less than this!

Out of the corner of his eye, Kid saw the Head Priest turn to where Kid was. The teen barely managed to bite down on his tongue and prevent any more sounds from coming out. His wrists still felt like they were immersed in molten metal, but damn him to the darkest pit of Hell if Kid let any of that show.

"Do not struggle, child. It is your Fate-"

"Then Fate can go fuck right off!" Kid yelled at the top of his lungs as he kept struggling against his restraints. "It’s not Fate. I'm just the unlucky bastard to whom you’ll take your religious frustrations out! Face the truth, old man!" Kid's voice turned bitter. " _Your God is dead and They are not coming back_."

Theodore slapped Kid. The boy didn’t wince, but if he miraculously survived, he was going to repay the action tenfold. Instead, he simply looked up, cheek stinging from the blow.

"It matters not what you believe, child. Soon enough, there will not even be a 'you' to be concerned about."

"You'd better hope that’s what happens for your own sake," Kid hissed.

"Listen to me, mongrel!" The man exclaimed, as he grasped Kid at the neck, nearly choking him. "I care not what goes on in your petty mind! You will cooperate, or I will nail you on the altar myself!"

“Get your hammer ready then," was all that Kid managed to say. He was exhausted. He just wanted to sleep... "Thought... you’d want to keep me in a good condition."

"You underestimate the power of our God, child. Death is not some lowly entity restrained to a mortal form and certainly not affected by mere wounds. Was it not Their power the reason you are standing here right now? Take your own advice and face the truth, child...Today is the day you will fulfill your purpose and return the life you've ungratefully kept."

Now, that might have been Kid being desperate. Probably was, as what he was about to do was very undignified, but had the potential to work. Hearing someone scream was somewhat distracting after all.

So Kid screamed. The boy aimed to distract the Priest, maybe even sabotage the ritual -Kid wasn’t aware how sensitive the ritual was towards the incantation -and if other sounds counted as ‘noise’-, but why not try at this stage?

Their patience must have run thin, as Kid was soon gagged, roughly so. It was a messy process and involved the teen hurling every insult he knew, right until a certain someone decided to show how little he cared and pushed down on Kid’s neck, effectively choking the boy.

Dammit… what other options did he have?

“ _Um_ ,” the boy hesitated, “ _hey, if anyone’s up there, I need help_.”

… Nothing happened.

Well, it was worth a shot.

...

He was going to die here. This was facing terrible, he couldn’t talk, he was cold, alone and tied up to an altar to be used as a sacrifice.

“Let us begin.”

Theodore pulled a knife out of the many folds in his robes, made entirely of shiny black obsidian. “Για να ανακτήσεις την χαμένη σου ευημερία όταν ο κόσμος σου γίνει μικρός και αταίριαστος,” came Theodore’s voice. Was it worrying that Kid understood it?

“Μεσάνυχτα, την ώρα που βγαίνουν τα δαιμόνια, για να πραγματοποιηθούν τα πιο κρυφά σου όνειρα.”

Something soft was placed around his head. They were flowers, Kid realized, marigolds to be exact. Their petals were a bright yellow, though their color was dimmed thanks to the insufficient lightning.

At least they smelled nice. If Kid would die, he wouldn’t have to bear with the stale stench of the air.

“Την μέρα οπού οι θεοί πέσαν σαν αγρίμια, ως των προγόνων μας ως θνητά συντρίμμια,”

Scratch that, the air felt colder. The same stirring feeling Kid had experience when he was first thrown in the lowest level of the catacombs came back at full force. The boy coughed, he wasn’t sure why. He hadn’t anything physically come up his throat. His soul buzzed however, and he was aware of that strange barrier around it. The first and last time he felt like that was right after he woke up in that madman’s lab.

Hidden. Restricted.

 _Protected_.

“Οχτώ κεριά και άλλα τόσα κόλλυβα, μονός σου κι αθόρυβα-” Theodore’s chant was interrupted by shouts coming from the entrance, until there were many crashes, then a bigger one, and he felt fresh air brush against his skin.

“What?!” came the many surprised yells and whispers among the gathered.

“Kid!” a familiar voice called out.

Kid angled his face so that the blindfold caught on one of the bony protrusions. After a bit of maneuvering which went unnoticed, he managed to regain a small field of view on the entrance’s side. With that, the boy saw what he personally considered his saviors -at this point he might as well hallucinate they had halos.

There was Maka with Soul already transformed as a scythe. Marie and Azusa were already there, and Kid was to confirm it with his Soul Perception, to make sure he wasn’t seeing things -his guardians were a godsend. Spirit was there too, a scythe’s blade already extending from his hand, and Kid made a promise to himself to take the man more seriously if he got out of this mess alive.

There was also some blue-haired kid wielding a katana Weapon – Kid would be maniacally laughing in joy if his throat didn’t feel so sore.

“Guards!”

“ _You_.”

“Heya Auntie! Miss me?” Hold the fuck up. Kid recognized that voice belonging to the mad scientist - _how and why the hell was he involved-?!_

“Keep them at bay! They must not interrupt!” Theodore barked. There were bright lights from both sides as people transformed into Weapons. Scythes, swords, hammers and katanas were pointed at each other.

The two sides clashed.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kim was running as hard as she could, dashing madly along darkly-lit corridors and trying to ignore the chaos around her, as the Academy might as well be on fire at this point.

Above and below her people were fighting each other. Weapons clashed against Weapons. Jackie had transformed into her Lantern form as well, just in case the two girls got ambushed by either side. It was hard to tell who their enemy was at this stage.

A few days before Maka had gotten under her bed an inconspicuous box; inside, wrapped in many layers of clothing, was a small-radio like device. That had raised red flags, but then Maka had quickly confessed how she knew Kid and provided some helpful backstory. Kim did know of the rumors on the ‘Resistance’ as they were called, but never looked into it much herself, otherwise she may have had attracted unwanted attention.

Not the plans ‘Fate’ had for her apparently. Kim had just wanted to fit in and be inconspicuous; instead she had gotten herself in a coup meant to prevent a God from being resurrected. She was starting to think she wasn’t very good at staying out of trouble.

The Resistance had just made a direct offensive at the Academy’s doorstep. Instead of Kim doing the rational thing and getting herself and Jackie the fuck out, she had been blackmailed by a certain blonde Weapon. After some fierce negotiation which might as well have increased the chances of Kim eventually dying due to stress, the three parties had agreed that Kim would break the sisters out when the assault by the Resistance began. That way, the Witch wouldn’t have to worry as much about prying eyes, no one would ask many question on how the Weapons escaped, and the sisters would be free to go and do whatever the hell their agenda was.

Yup. That was all there was. That was definitely all that Kim wanted to be involved in. After all, people die -or did die- all the time. Such is life and all that. Some people went from a heart attack, others went because some zealots wanted to sacrifice them to resurrect the God of Death.

But maybe… if she helped Kid and the others, she would help the Resistance. The group that was less bound by a religious ‘Witches are inherently evil’ doctrine. Sure, that would be risky, and there was no assurance Kim wouldn’t be executed, since the evil Witches trope surpassed religion. However, there was a chance, a slight chance, that she would be accepted; she had helped Kid and Maka, as well as sabotage the Academy by helping the Thompson sisters escape. Kim couldn’t tear down the whole mad Witch stereotype -she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to-, but she could ensure her own survival.

“Jackie?”

“Yes?”

“I have an idea.” Kim bit her lip. “It’s stupid, but hear me out.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Μaka was stressed. This was for many reasons’ not excluding that she was in an actual fight that may determine the continued existence for her childhood friend.

“Maka!” came Soul´s voice. Maka reacted faster than she thought she could, blocking a sword strike from her exposed side. The other Meister gritted his teeth, using his all strength against the girl in front of him. It was hard to tell who was winning.

The teen saw another guy coming right behind her with a spear, so she put all her strength in pushing back her opponent, creating a space between them. In a surprise attack, she hit the incoming Spear Meister with her elbow, followed by a kick in the center of their chest, then by a knock to the head with Soul’ blunt end, rendering the unnamed Meister unconscious. Maka whipped Soul around, catching the first Meister in the gut and further increasing their distance. The guy tried to attack her with another swing of his sword but Soul’s blade was more than enough to stop it in its tracks.

In her brief reprieve, she saw Kid’s form struggling against the restraints. Maybe it was her imagination and lack of contact -Kid never was the picture of health- but he looked skinnier and paler than before.

Someone was going to pay.

With renewed fervor, Maka swung Soul again. The guy rolled below it and Maka smirked as this put him right within kicking distance. This one may have had better training than that other Meister, but Maka had both skill and motivation by her side.

None would stop her and her determination.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 “YAHOO!” came Black*Star´s voice. The little ninja was in his element and currently having the time of his life.

“These people are weak!” he said, after hitting an opponent in his head with the blunt end of her form, making them fall down unconscious. Black*Star went for other lady wielding a katana. Easily dodging the other´s attacks, the blue haired boy wrapped Tsubaki’s chain around the katana effectively immobilizing the Meister; after that, knocking his opponent out was accomplished by a simple headbutt.

“Don´t get distracted Black*Star,” the female Weapon said, her worried reflection appearing in the blade. “You shouldn’t underestimate your opponent.”

“Opponent schlock-pponent, I’m kicking everyone’s ass!” the boy waved her off, his expression showing that he wasn´t listening to her. His eyes shone with delight when two more people with swords came at him.

“Let´s clean the way for them, Tsubaki!” shouted and ran at his new opponents without hesitation.

“Be careful!” said Tsubaki, but smiled a little. Her Meister’s confidence was infectious. “But you’re right… let’s pull our weight.”

The two ninjas dived into battle like one entity.

Meanwhile, Joe, holding a Weapon chain with an iron ball, was trying his best to fight, but also not. The situation had gotten disastrously wrong. Everything was getting out of control in a very dangerous way. Humans were attacking humans while the real enemy was out there, corrupting the planet… just had happened with his original Partner. Joe could never forget it, the day when his best friend, the person which he trusted the most, fell for the Madness as many before. They weren’t the first and certainly not the last. This particular case had let a mark on Joe´s soul, and, just like his homeland, the memory of his Partner helped him to keep fighting. He just didn´t want to let more lives get lost in vain.

Then again his eyes fell upon the altar, and that spark of fighting came dangerously close to extinction.

In the meantime, Stein and Marie were tearing through the Academy’s ranks like a scissor cutting across paper.

“Oh, is in this way they welcome their best students?” Stein joked, holding Spirit´s scythe form. An Academy Meister went for him, only for be shot to the side by a blonde woman holding what looked to be a gunbow.

“Stop playing around, Stein,” came Azusa´s voice from her Weapon form, held by Marie. “We must hurry!”

“Kid is still in danger” the blonde agreed, shooting two more times.

Unfortunately, they attracted a lot of attention and before they knew it, they were surrounded. Marie was backed against Stein. Their opponents hadn’t made a move yet, which meant they were ring to coordinate a simultaneous attack.

All it took was a step and the crowd unleashed themselves into the one Meister and three Deathscythes.

“Switch!” Azusa ordered. Stain let go of Spirt, while Marie did the same with Azusa. The red haired man became human once more and took Azusa´s Weapon form in the middle air. Stein, for his part, caught Marie.

“Interesting,” Stein commented while looking at Marie, before bringing her down to the floor, causing a shockwave that sent everyone -sans him and Spirit- off balance. The other Meister-Weapon pairs locked eyes with them while scrambling back up, but their power was nothing compared with Marie´s and Stein´s, and the four knew it.

With a quick movement, Stein knocked a guy out of balance. For another one, a simple hit with Marie was enough to send his opponent flying. Spirit did fairly well thinning the crowd as well, one switching with Azusa as the woman did a sweeping attack to get some distance. Unfortunately, Stein noticed a certain individual he hoped he wouldn’t have to face anytime soon.

Auntie, using all her physical strength, plus a hammer Weapon almost as big as her frame, was mowing down any Resistance members she encountered.

Stein moved against her quickly; stopping the powerful woman was his priority. He was more than aware of Aunties prowess, since there was a time where she was the head of physical training. She was one of the few individuals that was a real danger to their plan.

“I thought you were all dead,” Auntie growled.

“Funny how that works. I thought you didn’t support human sacrifice,” Stein retorted.

The woman didn’t respond immediately. “You know very well as I do this matter isn’t so simple.”

“Is it really? Or is that your mind trying to shield you from the cold hard truth? Cognitive dissonance is a thing, you know…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Τον λήπτη να βρεις, ζωής εξουθενωμένος-” Theodore’s chant was cut halfway as a cloaked person collided with him head on, sending them both tumbling away from the altar.

The only reason no one had died yet was due to Joe’s ridiculously coordinated maneuvers. A bump here, a poke there and the aim was slightly off, that slash did not cut through a major artery, the shot missed vital organs and so on so forth.

Surprisingly, Kid caught Kim's figure near the entrance, the Witch watching teh batt;e with a torn expression before charging in and fighting for the Resistance side.

After a small period of looking at the whole pandemonium in stupor, Kid brought himself back together and started fiddling with his restraints. Thank Whatever that his wrists were skinny enough, if he just maneuvered them correctly, he could get out of these bonds.

Among all the fighting, no one noticed a tall blonde teen wielding a gun enter the room and ran up the altar.

“Kid!”

A calloused hand tugged at the boy’s gag, pulling it away from him mouth.

The boy coughed a bit before locking eyes with the new arrival. “ _Elizabeth_?!”

“I told you it’s Liz, you little shit,” the girl hissed as she pulled unsuccessfully at the teen’s restraints. “Fuck, these thing are tight.”

“They’re _chains_ ,” Kid deadpanned.

“For fuck’s sake, I thought you being in mortal peril would get that stick outta yer ass,” Liz pulled at the chains again and growled in resignation. The girl took a few steps back and took aim with Patty. “Keep still would ya? I’d _hate_ it if I shot you accidentally.”

This one time, Kid followed her order in silence. The boy laid as still as he could while the older Thompson perfected her aim and pulled the trigger.

The bright pink bullet broke through the metal. Kid waited for Liz to fire three more times until all his limbs were freed.

“Ok, one last thing to shoot.” Liz came closer as she grimaced at the thinner chain around Kid’s neck. “Ok, uh, I have to fire at the chain around your neck, but it’s very possible that the bullet tears the metal and into you.”

“It’s ok, your bullets are made of your soul’s wavelength- I told you I’m observant,” Kid added at Liz’s questioning expression. “Anyways, can’t hurt me that much. You’ve already shot at me deliberately. Twice. And I still live.”

“Whatever you say,” the older Thompson muttered as she brought Patty against the metal chain and fired. To her credit, she did flinch when Kid bit back on a pained yelp.

“You still there?” Liz asked as she helped untie the chains around Kid’s neck.

“Forgot how much it hurts. Must be worse because the bullet’s metaphysical-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, let’s get you out of here,” Liz snapped while the last of the chains fell away. She grabbed under Kid’s arm and brought the boy up, supporting his weight fully.

“Sis,” Patty’s alarmed voice came from her Weapon form, “8 o’clock coming in hot!”

Kid lost half his support when Liz brought Patty up to shot at a few people who got way too close for comfort. The two stumbled awkwardly and they hadn’t even reached the altar’s bottom step.

“Dammit there’s more and they got Weapons,” the older sister hissed. “You being a dead weight ain’t helping much Kid,” she grumbled, though her words were more of concern than of malice.

“I just…” Kid’s soul felt heavier by the second, “I just need to rest a bit.”

“Oi,” Liz said in alarm. “You alright?” She asked while shooting Patty at another Meister-Weapon pair who got close.

“I’m…” Kid did a false start. “…I’ve got a headache-”

His words were cut short as more people took notice of what was happening at the altar.

The three were quickly surrounded. Liz fell forwards, while the younger Thompson scrambled into human form, looking over her sister in a panic. The manic gleam in Patty’s eyes briefly resided when she felt her sister move slightly, muttered a string of curses.

With his support gone, Kid’s knees couldn’t support his weight. The boy was about to fall, when something grabbed him by his hair and he felt a calloused hand grab his neck. It was uncomfortably tight and he involuntarily gagged. He felt the tip of something sharp and cold press just below his ribcage; the dagger was at a slight angle.

“Enough!”

Everyone froze. The sounds of battle died instantly and an oppressing silence filled the room.

Liz was still clutching her head, but both hers and her sister’s eyes widened when they saw Kid held up by Theodore, with an obsidian dagger coming dangerously close to breaking skin.

The silence was deafening. That was, until Theodore started chanting again.

“Αίμα ανθρώπου με αίμα Θεού παρατεταγμένος.”

Things moved in slow motion after that.

“Το σύμβολο Θανάτου γραμμένο αμέτρητες φορές…”

The dagger sliced it way through his skin and up his ribcage. He could see Azusa’s reflection in her Weapon form pale, as her expression twisted into one of horror. Marie had a similar expression only hers was mixed with fury as those Kid remember in her stories about Old Norse Gods and their battles.

“Για να ξαναπερπατήσουν οι Γηραιές Οντότητες-”

Kid instinctively grabbed at one of Theodore’s hands. He clutched as hard as his panicked brain allowed, and there was a crunching sound as Kid felt the bones give way. The old man bit back on a scream but pressed the dagger further in and to the side, almost in a cyclical pattern.

 “Προς τις εκφορές!”

The knife came out and the wounds started hurting. Kid felt the warm liquid drip down his chest, into the floor below.  The steady thrum in his ears stopped, as something even warmer, _chunkier_ , made its way out. Kid couldn’t see it though. His vision had been blurred. Sound had blurred too; it was like he was underwater.

Theodore must have dropped him, because Kid fell to the ground like a ragdoll. Maybe someone must have knocked the Head Priest out and caused him to let go of him. Kid wasn’t sure, his mind was overridden by panic. _This wasn’t supposed to be happening, he couldn’t die for he was -wait where were these thoughts coming from?_

There was a hand on his shoulder, soft and comforting, just like the bright blue soul it belonged too. Kid tried to focus on the present; the voice sounded scared, and the last time he heard such fear was when he and Marie had stayed out late for a night many years ago and Kid sensed an angry red soul approaching and Marie told him to hide-

The dark seals brightened, as shadowy tendrils flared across the room like lighting, pulsating and cackling against the symbols.

It was all coming from Kid. It _was_ him.

The barrier restricting his soul was gone. His surroundings darkened, yet there were three bright white lights coming from his left field of view.

Everything became overwhelmingly sharper; the smell of death, the sounds of confused and terrified gasps…

His body parts felt disjointed. Physically, there was little change, but what Kid’s own unconscious defined as ‘self’ had… expanded.

Glowing golden eyes shot open.

**Death walks the Earth once more.**


	14. It’s-a me, Existential Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> American Horror Story Theme fits great with this chapter. Recommend it if you want to set the atmosphere.  
> Also, I noticed the ‘twist’ was on chapter 13 -um I mean IT WAS ALL PLANNED YES SIR, LOOK AT ALL THAT META.  
> Anyways, hope you’re enjoying these chapter titles as much as I am.

On the midnight of October 31st and November 1st, fifteen years after the battle of Death versus the Kishin, Earth’s living conditions changed drastically.

All around the world hearts skipped a beat, breaths became sharp, and shallow there was a brief in the chest followed by a sudden start.

For a brief moment, life _stopped_. Since that, people remembered a sensation thought to be never experienced again. Humans collapsed, their souls fading away. Families began to mourn again. People felt the clock ticking down their time on this Earth once more…

Humanity sensed Death again.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid was floating –or was he falling? There wasn’t any up or down; only never ending darkness, stretching all around him, with no light in sight.

There was a faint buzz in the background, a sound he couldn’t quite recognize...

Since there was no point, Kid closed his eyes. It made little difference anyways. There was nothing to see.

Around him, the faint buzzing noise intensified. He wasn’t sure what it was; it sounded so foreign, so far away from where he was…

He wasn’t even sure, if he was clothed. He couldn’t see his body; the darkness was too thick, too permeating to allow anything to reach Kid’s eyes. He did feel a slight pressure around his body though, at the ends of his legs, around his arms, around his neck… Was it a cloak? If so, it was one of the softest materials he had felt. It felt familiar, as if he was wearing his own skin.

The soft material pressed against his backside. Did that mean he was going down then? If so, to where? There didn’t seem to be an end to the abyss. Should it even have an end? It was peaceful here. Calm. The only annoyance would be the faint buzz, which now seemed to be made of an amalgamation of voices… were they human? They didn’t sound like it.

Something brushed past his ear.

Kid’s eyes snapped open and the boy looked his side, or at least attempted too. He couldn’t see anything. There was only blackness.

The teen tried to arch his torso sideways, only to find that he couldn’t tell if he did so; the fabric kept pressing against his skin in the same direction.

Kid craned his head back; there was still nothing. A part of him found it boring, and longed for something, anything to happen; another found itself at ease, and wanted nothing more, but for Kid to close his eyes and stay as he was, suspended in the abyss.

He caught movement at the corner of his eye. There, below him, too far, yet too close at the same time; different shades of black, like rats scuttling in a dark cellar. The different bands of darkness were too numerous for Kid to count, stretching as far as his eyes could see. They pulsed and writhed, yet there was a method to their Madness. It was as if they were reaching out, for something they could not touch, something too far up for their stumpy forms…

Kid was the only thing above them though. At least, the boy couldn’t see anything else at his eye level. Was the object of the masses’ desires somewhere around him, where he could not see it? He was getting closer to the stumps by every passing moment. Strangely, he found himself calm at that knowledge. He knew these things wouldn’t – _couldn’t_ \- hurt him. But why…?

The same thing that had brushed past his earlobe now caressed the end of his leg, it being the lowest part of him. They felt like hands.

…They were hands. Some pale, some calloused, others as soft as snow, some big, and others as small as a child’s.

Had Kid been fully aware, he might have panicked, or at least been creeped out by the foreign touches. Yet it felt right; he belonged here, wherever it was. The hands, whatever was reaching out to him felt like his _responsibility_ -

The hands spread and grasped at any, and all parts of his body; his collarbone, through his hair, around his neck, encasing his thin torso, cupping his cheek... some lovingly, some violently, but all longingly.

And then he was falling, below the palms, the forearms, down into the center of the writhing mass of lost souls, where that cursed sound came from. The voices got louder, coming from and around the hands, and Kid could finally make out what they were trying to say.

The voices were screaming.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Meanwhile, far from the pleas of the dead, well-hidden in an underground cave stood an imposing marvel of architecture. Its eight towers resembled spider legs, the main body split into two parts, like the aforementioned arachnid’s structure. Outside it looked peaceful; business as usual at Baba Yaga Castle.

Inside was another story entirely; one made of chaos, panic, and confusion.

“Mosquito! Get my sister here right this instant!” Deep in the inner reaches of the castle, inside a room with only candles and an enormous spider web stretching across the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room, a woman barked orders to a stout man standing at attention.

“Milady!” The man with a monstrously large nose hastily bowed before running off into the intertwining halls of Arachnophobia’s Headquarters.

“Oi, boss!” A scruffy young man barged in right after. He was dressed haphazardly, foregoing any pants in favor of a pair of boxers and an unbuttoned white shirt. “Did ya feel that? Is that why everyone’s running around like headless chickens?”

“Have your brains been filled with clay, Giriko?! Of course it is about that!” the distract woman scolded him, clutching her fan.

“Man, what was it?” the man asked again, a hand reaching up to button his jacket. “My heart felt like it was about to jump off my chest.”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Now make yourself useful and make sure our defenses are not compromised.”

“Yeah, yeah, will do,” the man grumbled. He turned back dejectedly, unconsciously bringing a hand to his heart as he walked out of the imposing room.

Now that she was finally alone with her thoughts, Arachne closed her fan and leaned back on her spiderweb throne.

Today was the celebration of their _Master’s_ victory over Death. It was one of the few days Asura would allow his select followers -usually Medusa with her posy of choice- to enter his Sanctuary at the Nevada Desert.

Only those who wished to give in to the Madness and become the Kishin’s playthings would dare enter, serving as fodder for Asura’s amassing army, known ironically as Clowns. The name for people who once were supposed to bring joy to children, now only served as an omen of doom; the arrival of Clowns designated the next area that would be consumed by the Kishin’s Madness.

Arachne valued her sound mind a bit more; though she had claimed she would happily give herself over to the Kishin, if he so asked her, and had indulged in her brief spouts of Madness, Asura had given her orders to distance herself from his influence. He said that her mind was too valuable to engulf for the time being. Only when Earth had been plunged and taken completely by the Madness would she be allowed to join.

Huh. The fool.

It was as she had planned. She had made it clear that her strength was in her mind and intellect. It was intentional, so that she would be spared from the Madness effects. Of course she had to make it look convincing, and take that gamble by offering herself to the Kishin. It was a risking move and one of those times she never wished to revisit.

Oh, yes, Arachne Gorgon, the Heretic Witch, Mother of Demon Weapons was more than a loyal lackey to a mad God.

Honestly, it was a shame that the Kishin had not been destroyed as well in the Battle. That way there would be no obstacles, no Gods to obstruct her goal; rule the world as its rightful heir, become the Mother Of All Things. However, what she had felt this midnight… she hoped she would never get to experience again. Arachne had a long life, and for all, but those last blessed fifteen years that _feeling_ weighted on her soul. _It_ made her feel weak, insignificant.

_Mortal_.

“Sister.”

Her thoughts were interrupted by a certain blonde family member walking into the room. Either her manservant had learned how to teleport, or Medusa had felt it as well. It was a testament to her dread that Arachne preferred the first option.

“Medusa,” Arachne greeted.

“You do not call me for no reason,” the young witch said, crossing her fingers as she looked up at her sibling. “I assume you’ve felt it as well.”

“I did, but I am not exactly sure _what_ it was.”

“It seems fifteen years is enough time for one to forget something,” the younger witch said. Her lack of worry infuriated Arachne.

“You forget which one of us is the oldest and more powerful. I simply want to confirm my suspicions.”

“Then allow me to confirm them. That, my dear sister…”

For a brief moment, Medusa’s face twisted into a grimace. A sign of the mask fading away to reveal their shared discomfort.

“Was _Death_.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 

Across the border, in the high towers of the Academy, a… creature stirred in his sleep.

Kid’s consciousness returned piecemeal. First was his sense of touch. He was laying horizontally somewhere, and covered by a thin cloth, probably a sheet. The material wasn’t as soft as the one in his dream.

The next sense to return was his hearing. Male voices spoke in rapid, hushed tones.

His sense of smell had returned too, but there was little to pick up. He knew the air was fresh though, unlike what he had experienced at the dungeons.

The boy’s sight was the last sense to return. When Kid had amassed enough energy and mental strength to do so, his tired eyes opened to reveal he was in a completely unknown place. The ceiling was high; the walls were painted in muted shades of brown and green. Any windows were covered by heavy curtains, also in mute colors as well. Depictions of ravens, skulls, and flowers were used as decorations for the heavy fabrics.

Most importantly though, there were two people in the room. It was Theodore and another elderly individual he did not recognize. The Head Priest gestured at his peer and the unnamed man headed for the door. However, they both glanced at the laying form on the bed and their eyes went wide as blank golden eyes stared back. The unknown man gave a knowing look to Theodore before exiting the door.

The High Priest turned back to the child and bowed "My Lord."

That was new. Thank goodness Kid’s entire being felt blank, or he may have reacted out of sheer incredulousness.

The Priest must have mistaken the teen’s lost expression for something else, for he quickly spoke up. "I realize this must be a very disorienting experience for you, Milord. Rest assured that we will do our outmost to help you recuperate."

Kid arched an eyebrow.

"Not that I would ever imply you’re powerless, Milord."

If they could, Kid’s eyebrows would have skyrocketed to the exosphere at this bizarre statement. Thank goodness for that numbness all over his body.

Kid slowly raised himself up from the bed, against the bedrest. His whole body felt different. It was not awkward to control like he felt in his youth. The most accurate description would be to call it a numbness, similar to how your leg would feel if you sat on it for too long, only he felt that in his entire body.

His first thought was that he was hallucinating, his brain opting for a surreal experience instead of the boy bleeding to death on the floor. Recalling the memory, and with the Priest’s hunching pose causing him to doubt reality, Kid brought a hand to his chest.

The skin was smooth. He could feel no wound, yet there was something else, an irregularity. He looked down, only to see his chest covered in dried blood.

His blood. The blood that spilled when that obsidian dagger had been pushed in and up his ribcage, tearing through flesh and muscle, stopping that steady thump in his ears-

"Worry not, Milord. When preparing your vessel, we made sure to make the fatal wound minor so as to not damage your new body."

_'Thanks for nothing, jackass,_ ' was what Kid wanted to answer. He wasn’t exactly sure to what he was answering though, so the boy settled for silence.

"Unfortunately, your current vessel belonged to a human child, a very frail one at that.”

_'Fuck you, I ate all my vegetables._ ' Kid frowned.

The Priest gulped. For some reason, the man who had just teared a teen’s heart out was intimidated by the same bloody teenager. "I deeply apologies, Milord, but this was the only available option. The ritual’s instructions were specific and the boy was the one who deciphered it and also benefited from your mercy, so we presumed-”

The man’s words became a faint buzz, as Kid slowly pieced what had happened. His memories were blurry -and strangely monochrome- but, in combination with the implications of the Priest’s words, revealed the big picture.

The ritual was complete. The Grim Reaper had been successfully summoned.

…Then how was Kid still himself?

What had actually happened?

Kid rocked his brains, trying to recollect past events as accurately as possible. They were beginning the ritual with him as the sacrifice -or vessel, Kid wasn’t graced with the details. First were the altar... Then there was some other fanfare until... Kid remembered the icy feeling on the dagger in his chest, breaking through skin as something deep inside the teen had awakened.

A chill ran up his spine. _The power came from him_.

Kid´s mask briefly fell, adopting a disbelieving expression. The shadows... Kid was the one who summoned them. His head hurt, then there were three bright lights…

Did that mean that he was-?

"Milord?"

Existential crisis temporarily put on hold, Kid looked up at the Priest. The elder man briefly held his gaze, but then quickly looked down.

"You have not said a word thus far, Milord. Is everything working in order?"

"…Yes," Kid eventually answered. For all it was worth, he’d managed to keep his voice even and emotions hidden. "I’m merely... disoriented," he added in what was a flawless imitation of seriousness, because mentally, he was panicking.

The Priest nodded in response. "It is to be expected, Milord. Allow me to ease your burden."

As Theodore turned away, Kid wondered if it would be childish to bury his head in his hands and hide under the sheet. He really wanted some time alone.

“Milord.”

Kid looked up to see he was presented with a goblet filled with a red liquid. Had it not been for its thickness, Kid would have suspected it was wine.

"It is human blood, Milord.”

Kid now wished it was wine.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" The teen asked while simultaneously mentally chanting, 'don’t say drink it, don’t say drink it, don’t say-'

"Drink it, Milord."

Kid blinked. If one could read his mind, they’d hear a constant stream of screams.

The teen looked up. "...why?"

"Think of it as medication against any discomfort in your new vessel, sire. The vessel had lost a lot of blood when you were summoned, and it is likely your power is spent on replenishing and healing any previous damages."

"I am fine." Kid mentally slapped himself right after saying that. That was a pathetic excuse and it made him sound like a petulant child. Plus, that was a lie. Mentally, he was a mess, and his breaths were a bit too shallow for his liking. That he couldn’t detect a heartbeat when he touched his chest only made matters worse.

The Priest seemed to share this opinion, but in a more reverent way. "Milord, I am in no position to order you, but I strongly implore you drink the blood. It will help you return to your full strength faster."

Kid eyed the cup with hidden apprehension. He couldn’t think of any plausible excuses, and if the Priest found out that he was still addressing Kid, Grim Reaper complication or not...

The teen gingerly reached out and took hold of the cup with both hands. The Priest bowed deeper as the boy brought the cup closer.

It’s okay, he can do this. He’s sixteen, age of responsibility and all that… unless he aged differently. For crying out loud, he’d have to do a mental revision on many things about his life. The smell the blood was distracting, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

_…What_?

If Kid could go any paler, he did.

Normally he hadn’t paid attention to the smell of blood, usually overshadowed by other smells, or ignored due to a fight. But most of these times it was Kid’s blood. And he wasn’t...

"Milord? Is everything alright?"

Good grief, Kid was stalking for time. He had to do it. It would probably be gross, not to mention the horrifying implications of drinking actual blood...

Why couldn’t it be wine? At least you can get drunk on wine, have an impromptu party, and not have to deal with any cannibalistic repercussions.

…No wait, if Kid was the Grim Reaper, technically that wasn’t cannibalism-

Inwardly cursing, Kid brought the cup to his cup and took a small sip, involuntarily scrunching at his action...

And then immediately relaxing. It tasted nice.

... _Wait, what the fuck_ - _?_

Kid took another small sip, disgust briefly put aside.

Yup. The blood was _sweet_. Like a twisted version of ambrosia, the conscious part of Kid fought vehemently against finding any pleasure in this, but another part, one recently brought into surface, reveled at the taste of it.

Kid’s inner turmoil levels increased exponentially.

"How did you get the blood?"

"Milord, it was during a special bloodletting ritual."

Ah yes, _of course_. How quant. But then again he was the one who thought blood tasted nice.

Holy crap, he was basically like that monster from old horror movies.

…Technically, what he had heard of the Grim Reaper was much scarier. Unrealistic God standards then? Kid had looked at himself at a mirror; his sickly pale body was hardly threatening. Then again, that might have been the purpose, what the hell did he know?

Hold up. How the fuck did he come to exist in the first place?

Kid wondered if it’d be out of character to ask the Head Priest for some painkillers. All that soul-searching and existential crisis debate was giving him a headache.

“Lord Death.”

Upon seeing the man’s stare on him, Kid instinctively gulped. He found himself instinctively searching for a knife. “Yes?”

“It is our great honor to see you finally return to this wretched world. I must ask for forgiveness though my actions against you were inexcusable. I only wished to ensure your people would not be running under false Gods like how most of humanity is doing these deprived times. Please, forgive your humble servant.”

Kid was at a loss of words. He blinked rapidly to make sure he wasn’t imagining this. The man who but a few hours ago called him ‘a mongrel’ -though technically Theodore didn’t know that the person he was addressing now was the same panicking teen he had insulted before- was literally treating him like a God.

A ‘God’ that had no idea what they were doing.

Kid opened his mouth, but no words came out. What should he say? That he forgave the man who had demeaned his friends and those he considered family, while sprouting hateful and fear-mongering ideologies? That he forgave the atrocities the people of this city had committed in the name of a supposed God who turned out to be a confused teenager? Or the countless people the man had murdered, using Kid’s nature as an excuse, the evidence clear in the man’s blood stained clothes?

For a moment a side of Kid he had mostly kept to himself, a cruel sadistic desire made itself apparent. It only surfaced whenever coming to face with a red soul, a pre-Kishin, whatever they were called. Kid wasn’t sure why it was surfacing now. Skull shadows cackled in the background, their monstrous forms flickering in and out of sight. The elder stood his ground and only bowed lower, Kid could practically _taste_ the fear their souls emitted-

And that’s what drove him back to sanity. Clenching his sheet Kid took a deep breath, forced his eyes shut and willed himself calm. Upon inhaling, the shadows quieted down; there were no more dark hisses. As he exhaled the shadows vanished from sight, retreating to the corners of his soul.

Theodore Barzai was afraid, Kid realized. Of him.

…Also, apparently he can control shadows, but he’d deal with that later.

Hell, how was he even going to explain _that_ to Azusa and Marie-?

“Where are the others?” Kid asked, all thoughts forgotten.

“Sir?”

“Where are the others?” Kid asked again, this time a bit forceful. “The ones who… tried to sabotage the ritual.” He decided against calling it revival because if Kid described himself right now, the last word he would use is ‘revived’. Overwhelmed would be his choice.

“Imprisoned, Milord. A fitting punishment has yet to be determined. I was of the opinion that you should have the final say in their fates, and the Council has agreed.”

Wait, that was new. “Council?” Was it a group of religious zealots? Kid hoed Theodore was the only one.

“Yes, Milord. Forgive me if I am causing you a lot of confusion. Life has only gotten more convoluted since you were last awake.”

“I can imagine,” Kid dryly replied. His life certainly had become more convoluted.

…Maybe this could work out. Maybe if Kid didn’t say anything inflammatory, if he treaded the line well enough, he could help the Priest see the harm he was doing. Kid could stop the sacrifices, the senseless murders and crusades. Hell, ideally Kid could stop the whole worshipping thing in the first place.

It was alright. He could handle this. Probably. Maybe he could get everyone out safely. Maybe he could sway the Academy for better…

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Or things could go even worse. Which of course they did.

They were going up a staircase; Kid had been given a black cloak which he wrapped around him, and was being led by Theodore. He wasn’t sure where; the old man must have mentioned something, but Kid must have missed it, for his attention kept being disrupted. It all circled back to one thought.

_He was the Grim Reaper._

He, Kid, was the Grim Reaper.

...

...

_What_?

…How?

Was... was he always Death?

Fuck, how did he know he was Kid _now_ and not some weird amalgamation due to ceremony being disrupted, or whatever? He felt the same, but that was subjective as it could be, not to mention how the hell he could differentiate feeling 'different' in the first place.

Well, he could try. Kid didn’t have any unexplained memory gaps. He didn’t feel like the person in his memories was separate from what he was now. Then, did that mean...?

Again, how? Kid had grown up relatively normal-

...

No.

No, he didn’t.

He didn’t grow up 'normal'. He grew up _imitating_ 'normal'.

The Soul Perception. His fast healing. The lack of appetite, unexplained strength, passion about souls, instinctive disgust at the soul eaters, _everything_ -

How could he have been so _blind_?

He... he had to sit down. Take a deep breath. Try to relax... try...

His body felt like it was revolting. A wave of nausea washed over him, everything felt _wrong_ -

His stomach gave a painful lurch and Kid doubled down, clutching the area. He felt sick, something was rising up his throat...

Next to him, Theodore was alarmed but too scared to approach him.

Kid tried to breathe, but it didn’t feel like he was in control. His airway was blocked, and something was still rising up, until a sharp metallic taste reached his mouth.

Bending down, Kid choked and gasped; he threw up a dark substance. He desperately hacked, until he felt his throat ease the restriction and he could breathe again. A surge went through his being, unaware if Kid had called upon it involuntarily or not. It was painful, and he swore he felt his heart pause for a second, his whole body stiffening like a corpse. It went as quickly as it came however, and Kid could breathe again, like nothing had happened in the first place. His frame slightly rose, as Kid brought his hand up to wipe his mouth. He looked down and froze in shock.

On his hand, the substance wasn’t blood. It wasn’t remotely close to red in color. It was just... black.

"M-Milord?"

The human's voice briefly distracted Kid. The boy also realized that he was hyperventilating. Superb, just what he needed. At least he could feel a heartbeat now.

The Grim Reaper -guess Kid should get used to being called that- looked up to see Theodore trying to get close, but also maintain a respectful distance at the same time. It would have been funny under any other circumstances.

…He wasn’t getting any help, Kid realized. He was the God of Death, after all. Why would the Reaper of Souls need assistance from a mere human to simply stand up?

Kid cursed inwardly.

"Milord, what happened?"

_'I might be having a panic attack, is that acceptable behavior for the Grim Reaper?'_ Kid bitterly thought.

"I'm not..." Kid paused, feeling his voice about to crack. He tried to control his breathing, but it was a futile effort. Fuck, even his own body was revolting against him. "I am not used to this... vessel yet." Yeah, sure, call his body a vessel, surely _that_ mental disconnect wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass somehow.

"Milord, I may have some more blood-"

Kid put up a hand immediately. "No, no..." Fuck no, he wanted to calm down, not freak out more. "I merely require," dammit it was hard making a coherent sentence when your lungs decided to work overtime just to mess you up, "rest. I simply need to rest." _And maybe, probably, puke my guts out some more, thank you very much_.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

...Kid shouldn’t have been left alone.

Sure, now he could fall face first into the bed and freely curl up in a pained ball without having to worry about preying eyes, but that extra mental process only contributed to his internal and external turmoil. Now, his senses could focus in things that weren’t even there.

Because they couldn’t be. He was alone in the room. So the phantasms he saw under the corner of his half-closed eyes deep below him with the ground being an infinite void didn’t exist. Their hands, old and young, smooth and rough, couldn’t be tugging at the edges of his being. Or voices, that might have once been human, yet now they were pathetic and pleading, begging for closure, for release, for _Death_ -

There it was again. The surge of power. The pause. A small feeling of peace that lasted briefly, only for his body to freeze up the next moment, for the panic to return and the whole process would start again...

This was pathetic. He was pathetic. How could such a pathetic soul like him even be the supposedly all-mighty Grim Realer when he was curled up on the bed, fighting against demons that didn’t exist, whimpering for sweet release?

Surge of power. Pause. Brief respite.

He felt a clench at his very being again. May whatever Gods be there, or just pure odds, grant him a small break from that cycle...

The screams got louder. The hands felt more solid, became rougher, tugging painfully against any part of Kid they could reach.

He just wanted it to _stop_.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Hello,” a new voice rang out. It was deep, with a nasal edge to it, and devoid of humor, or emotion.

Kid realized he was curled up into a ball. He hesitantly uncovered his ears, and looked from where he lay.

A tall imposing figure towered above him. The black torn cloak and cracked skull mask were more than enough signifiers to show with whom he was dealing with.

“Heya~" the figure repeated, this time in an unexpectedly light-hearted note.

Kid’s features settled into a hard scowl. "Get out."

The figure tilted its head. "What-?"

“You’re the Grim Reaper, aren’t you?!" the boy pointed accusingly at the figure as he got up.

“Well, I’m-"

“ _Get out_!” Kid yelled, not caring for the figure’s response. “I don’t care what the fuck happened at the ritual, make up your goddamn mind! Take it back, take me out whatever-!"

“I... you need to calm down-"

“I don’t want this, I can’t-!" Kid paused, trying and failing to get his frantic breathing under control. "I don’t care what your plans are! I don’t care if you felt some sort of pity and that’s why I’m still alive. You’re the Grim Reaper, you’re responsible for this mess, just make it stop-"

"I’m not,” the figure cut him off, their voice having lost that playful tone.

"What?" Kid breathlessly said.

"I am not the Grim Reaper,” the figure calmly stated. “You are."

"...what, _no_ , that can’t-"

"There are no buts about it. Such things are absolute. At present time, you are the Grim Reaper."

"I’m...” he pulled the cloak closer to him. “But you...?"

"Think of me as a mere manifestation, a figment of your imagination, an imaginary friend, whatever the kids are calling it these days."

"But... that’s not... I don’t control...”

"And that’s your problem!” the figure piped up. “At the moment, you don’t _control_ anything. All the floodgates are open and you're but a young duckling trying to swim across the current~"

Kid slowly sat up. He realized he didn’t hyperventilate anymore, nor did his heart feel like it was about to burst from his ribcage. His eyes still felt wet though.

Behind him, he saw a glass-like wall. The other side was flooded with the hands and muffled screams that echoed through.

Kid flinched away. "They look like they’re going to break through…"

"No worries, I have them restrained for now so you can get your bearings."

"Wait," Kid hesitated. "You did this? How-?"

"Relax~” the figure drawled, as it tilted precariously to the side. “I have taken care of it.”

"I thought you were a figment of imagination?"

"I felt like giving you a hand," the figure stated.

Kid looked between the glass-like structure and the mysterious presence. He inched away, coming closer to the center, where the figure was. Eventually, Kid looked up to the figure, who was looking at the boy expectantly. The teen gulped what little hesitation he had and inclined his neck in a small bow. "Thank you and… apologies about before."

There was a pause while the presence regarded him coldly. Then it did a little happy wobble. “My, you’re so polite~"

Needless to say, Kid was very confused. "... Who... are you?"

"I’ve told ya, no one important~" the figure cheerfully explained. "My self-conscience just emerged because of your cries of help."

"You... you heard me?"

"More like I felt you. Remember, you are the Grim Reaper. You’re the one running this ship."

"More like sinking the ship," Kid muttered to himself.

"Oh, don’t be so hard of yourself! You barely know what’s going on, do ya~?"

To his embarrassment, Kid nodded. "I’m...I tried to make it stop, shut it out like I sometimes do with my Soul Perception, but it was... I couldn’t..." He pulled the fabric around him closer feeling self-conscious.

"Kiddo, you can’t shut _that_ ," the figure wobbled towards the glass barrier, “off. You are going against it, against your being. It’s like trying to strangle yourself.”

The figure leaned in closer. “ _You are attacking your own soul._ ”

Well, that couldn’t be good. "How...?” Kid frowned, “how do I make it _stop_ -?"

"You just need to focus, kiddo. Focus on your soul. Open your senses."

"They're screaming."

"Of course they are. Poor souls have been trapped in the Earth for such a long time... it’s a good thing you finally came to your senses."

"Wait, if I’ve always _been_ the Grim Reaper... then why couldn’t I…?"

"Because _'you'_ are new to the whole thing!" The figure cheerfully explained. "You can’t expect a baby to do calculus, right?"

“I’m fift- sixteen,” Kid protested, ignoring his minor slip up. After all, who else’s birthday included being sacrificed to an Elder God only to find out they _were_ the Elder God all along?

“Yes, you are.”

There was a brief bout of silence between the two.

"How...” the boy eventually said, “how do I learn to control that?"

"Hm... it takes time. A very long time to properly master it, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, _brilliant_ ,” Kid muttered, his wit acting as a sort of defense mechanism. “How do I even get started…?"

“Try to focus on other things. Keep some source of Order-” the figure briefly cut itself off. “Or not. Whatever works best for ya~”

Kid, however, stopped listening after a certain word. Order... yes, that’d work. Order could be achieved by balance, by symmetry. Kid could focus on that. Thus, he could be productive and stop himself from going nuts, right?

…Right?


	15. Shinigami Shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold tight children, the ride has just begun.

Levels below the Academy, a man shifted in his bed.

Joe Buttataki had been rendered unconscious by the shockwave during the ritual. The man, like many others, had dropped to the floor once he felt a certain wavelength pass through him. His last thought was that since Death had been revived, that Wavelength must be the Grim Reaper’s and therefore… lethal.

Imagine his surprise when he woke up and found out he had only been knocked out for a few days. Though it paled a bit when he was assaulted with an array of colours and information through his Soul Perception. It was clearer than his normal sight would ever be, and it felt like he could know someone through their soul better than they understood themselves.

A member of the Academy came to tend for him. Apart from providing him with some painkillers for his newfound sight-influenced headache, Joe was briefed on the events after the ritual. That it had been claimed to be successful, that the intruders were captured but not executed. Joe was relieved to hear the last part, but his relief was short-lived when it was further explained that Death was in charge of their fates.

On the night of the ritual, Joe had seen the Deathscythes for the first time in many years. Part of him hoped the kid was bluffing. Joe liked Marie and the rest, not just because the blonde had one of those embarrassing teenage crushes on him; Joe may have crushed on her too but was too introverted to show.

They must hate him now, the man realized. ‘ _And for good reason’_ , he bitterly thought.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

When they all grew to young adults, they were good company and most importantly, good people. Joe had mourned them sixteen years ago when everyone thought they were dead. Now to find out that not only were they alive, but also that Spirit -of all people! - had a daughter with Kami! The Meister in general was mysteriously absent from the group and Joe dreaded learning her fate, same went for all other Meisters except Stein. And the girl wasn’t the only child, there was Kid as well-

Fuck. Of course his thoughts would go there.

Kid… Joe didn’t know what the hell he himself was doing at the ritual. The man tried to keep everyone alive and hoped that somehow things would blow over but…

To make matters worse, all rumors stated that the Grim Reaper was using Kid’s intact body. There was some talk of Them being weakened and needing to rest, and Joe couldn’t be more thankful. He didn’t know how he would react upon seeing blank golden eyes stare at him.

His shock from the events above was only rivalled when he turned on his Soul Perception and tried to comb through all the new colours and information. He could see miniscule pulses on the bright orbs, his range had been expanded and it was as if his previous vision was a camera and now he had an X-Ray scanner.

He looked below.

There, he could see Marie’s soul! And not only that. There was Azusa, Stein, Spirit, Sid -wait wasn’t he dead? - Mira -she had been declared MIA! -  and-

Joe took in a breath. Among the souls of the younger people, where Spirit’s daughter was -her soul so similar to the red-haired man- was a Witch’s Soul.

A Witch had infiltrated the Academy.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Sire.”

Gold eyes snapped open to regard the old man standing in the entrance of his room.

After Kid’s strange dream sequence, the boy found that the screams had subsided quite a bit; they were more like a constant buzz in the background he would eventually learn to ignore until he had enough power to settle it. It helped when he took a bath after, to remove the grime and dried blood off him. As expected, there was no sight that the wound, or any other wound for that matter, had ever been inflicted on him. Some may have found that disconcerting, but Kid found a reassurance to it, a hope that he would make it through what other calamities were sure to befall him.

Still, there was one more thing that unnerved him. At times it felt like he was being stalked by another being, like a shadow. It was like a sensation that something familiar was close to him, yet when he looked around or even used his Soul Perception, there was no one in sight -his Soul Perception had a barely conceivable yellow tint. He felt it when he was alone in the room, that the shadows would shift when they shouldn’t.

He also tried his best to pointedly ignore the now three prominent white lines spanning only one side of his hair. It was a moderate success so far, by avoiding to look at himself in the mirror. It was infuriatingly asymmetrical, as if they were taunting him on purpose. Honestly, when he got himself some hair dye...

Nevertheless, he could think about these things later.

Kid regarded Theodore. The last day had been very bizarre. He wasn’t used to anyone being reverent to him, let alone the man who looked like he had been force-fed lemons at his every waking moment.

“I hope I am not interrupting.”

Kid shook his head. He found that when he lay in bed and… he couldn’t call it rested, more like he sunk into his subconscious, that the screams subsided and there was a small permanent decrease in their volume.

Good, that meant he was making progress at _something_. Now to focus on the other 99 problems he had.

“The Council will meet tomorrow.”

“Very well. I’ll be there.”

When Theodore turned to the door, Kid looked around the room and rubbed his eyes. The furniture was proving to be most distracting. It was disorganised and asymmetrical and Kid felt the urge to stop everything and make his living space a bit more ordered.

Kid liked symmetry before. He liked organising things, since it made them easier to find and gave him some control over a chaotic life. Now however, it felt like he had to. That if he didn’t, something would go horribly wrong.

…Would it?

Whatever the case, keeping things ordered was starting to feel like less of a mindless pastime and more like an itch he _had_ to scratch.

“There is still the issue of the prisoners,” the Head Priest continued before exiting. “These people attempted to sabotage the ritual and your revival. I say an execution is in order-”

“Don’t,” Kid said before he could stop himself.

Theodore had a disapproving look. The Grim Reaper reciprocated the gesture.

“If I may,” the man eventually said, “why?”

“There are things I want to ask.” Intertwining his fingers, the teen added, “besides, it would be a terrible waste of life.” That was much more official than what Kid was thinking, which went more along the lines of ‘ _Stop murdering people, you twat.’_

The Head Priest did not look convinced. His expression had soured, and Kid found himself worried. The man’s reverent attitude fell apart each time Kid voiced any objections to his plans. If his suspicions were correct, he would have to move fast.

“They are Deathscythes,” the Grim Reaper argued. “If I take their souls then we are wasting potential.”

“Surely you can’t-”

“I would prefer if I do it myself,” Kid said decisively. This was worth going on the offensive. “I work best alone.”

There it was, that sour expression accompanied by a distinctive pulse from the man’s soul. “Of course, Milord.”

Kid inwardly sighed. That was another issue down. 98 more to go.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

At the upper level of the dungeons were a group with filled cells. Their occupants were silent and forlorn. The atmosphere was oppressive and depressed, as if the walls would cave in at any moment.

“I called him a ´dead weight´,” came a female voice. It belonged to an older teen, sitting on the front corner of her cage. Liz had brought up her knees and was scowling at the wall. Occasionally her façade fell and her features softened, her eyes reddened. However, all it took was a deep breath and the mask of anger and fury was back on like it had never left.

Next to her, Patty was silent. The girl hadn’t uttered a word, just stared at the walls of her cell. She only reacted when Liz reached out for her hand when they had woken up, to reassure each other they were safe. Patty had just given her sister’s hand a limp shake; Liz’s hold wasn’t any livelier.

“I didn’t even talk to him,” Maka whispered to herself and sniffed. What was the last thing she had said to Kid? It wasn’t even during the altar; the girl was too focused on fighting to actually help her childhood friend. Maybe if she had been with the two Weapons, she could have helped them through and gotten Kid out of danger. Maybe then he wouldn’t have been taken by the Head Priest and the dagger wouldn’t have sliced through skin, plunging inside and followed by _beating dark red_ coming out-

Maka sniffed again. The guilt tore at her soul. She couldn’t even protect those close to her. She was a terrible friend.

Next to her, Soul was silent. The albino would be the first to admit that he didn’t know Kid that much –heck, he had barely talked with the guy. Still, he seemed to be a decent dude and Maka liked him as a friend so he couldn’t be that bad. Besides, no one deserved to die like that. Soul shuddered to remember the scene and the clenching at his heart that followed after.

“Damn it,” came the voice of the youngest male of the group. Black*Star barely had any connection with the people here, but he didn’t mind tagging along. They were a cool bunch -not as cool as him of course-, plus they were teamed up with Sid, one of the few people Black*Star respected. Needless to say, he didn’t like the events of October 31st not one bit. Not only did he lose a fight, but also his failure had cost someone else their life. It shouldn’t matter that everyone else fainted from Death’s unleashed Wavelength, Black*Star _wasn’t_ everyone. He was unique and would surpass God and Anything Above, certainly not faint from a whiff of Their Wavelength!

As for Tsubaki, she had also remained silent. Like Black*Star, Tsubaki only knew about this group tangentially from Sid and Naigus. The woman had trained her on a few applications on battlefield medicine after the ninja’s request. Sid had helped her with some of her training, shouting encouragement and being one of the few people she was comfortable enough to let her guard down. Her insecurity was getting less too. The new group she had found herself in were welcoming, if not eccentric, but Tsubaki didn’t mind. She admired the strength and discipline of the two women Deathscythes, and the normalcy and spirit -pun not intended- of the male one. To see that they had managed to establish families, no matter how unorthodox, and form a close-knit group, gave the older teen hope for her own future.

But now they had lost part of the group, a member of the new group she found herself a member of and the adopted child of the two Deathscythes. All because they hadn’t moved fast enough, decisively enough. Would they have won if they had applied more lethal force?

Maybe she really was a failure. A failure to protect and help people.

Maybe her brother was right, calling her weak and helpless.

A loud snort came from one from one of the cells where a certain pink haired girl was kept. “Alright, enough snivelling from all you.”

That seemed to break the spell of silence.

“Shut the fuck up,” Liz growled.

“Or what? You’ll kill me?” The girl stood up on her cage and casually leaned against the bars. “Sorry, I’m booked. Also, sorry I can’t fill that blank space in your little group to stop your _whining_.”

“Dude,” Soul spoke up, “that’s cold.”

“Sure call me cold, see if I care,” Kim drawled. “Matter of fact is, we gotta escape and we gotta do it fast, or we’re all done for. Sitting here and crying over a dead person ain’t gonna do that.”

“No, but eating your soul may just lift my fucking mood, you ever thought of that, witch?” Liz hissed.

“Scary words coming from a bitch in a cell,” Kim said with faked awe.

Liz pushed herself up and gripped the bars of her cell. “Wait until I get out and I’ll show you how _scary_ I can be.”

“Shame you can’t do that without my help~” the pink-haired girl teased.

“Please, let’s not fight,” came Tsubaki’s timid voice.

“What do you mean?” Maka asked, assisting the ninja in calming everyone out. She tried to keep her voice even with moderate success. “You can get us out?”

“Finally, someone’s starting to come around,” Kim said with poison in her voice. “Guess crying for a whole day does that to you, huh?”

“Stop it,” Maka cut her off. Her voice wavered. “Just tell us your plan.”

Kim shrugged. “Whatever floats you boat. There’s one way we can break out, but we have to move fast.”

“How fast?”

“In twelve hours fast,” Kim nonchalantly played with a strand of her hair. “So, think you can get your shit together and postpone the whining?”

“It’s called ‘mourning’-” Maka started.

“It’s called being ´a fucking cry-baby´,” the pink-haired girl cut her off. “Besides, some of you didn’t even know the guy. I know you there,” she pointed to Tsubaki, “hadn’t even talked to him, so don’t try to play the mourning-friend bit-”

“I’m sad because a person is dead!” the Japanese girl protested. “Why is that such a foreign concept to you?!”

“Because you aint ‘ _sad’_ for them.” she drawled out the word. “Your sad for yourself. You’re _sad_ because of how it’ll affect you, how it’ll make you look. Fucking selfish and counterproductive-”

“You don’t know that,” Soul interrupted her.

“Oh, trust me, I _know_.” The Witch let out a bitter laugh. “I’ve got my fair share of dead people. When my folks died, so many people were _sad_ , and ‘ _wanted to help_ ’ but did they? Of course they didn’t. All it was were empty words meant to pat themselves on the back for being so ‘ _considerate’_ and ´ _humane’_. Why is this any different?”

“We’re not these people though.”

“Yeah you are.” Kim huffed. “Humans aren’t that different, ya know?” She muttered.

“I’m not gonna be fucking lectured by a fucking Witch on how I fucking feel,” Liz hissed, holding the cell’s bar in a death grip. “Not my fucking fault if _your_ kind can’t even feel an ounce of _sympathy_ for another being-”

“Please, let us all calm down!” Jackie spoke up. “Kim…” the girl stood at the bars and tried to turn and look at the Witch. “Let’s… let’s try and not to presume the worst of people, ok?”

“Oh please Jackie, didn’t you hear them? Apparently, people like me don’t get to feel sadness!” Kim yelled. Her voice dropped to a low menacing hiss. “Well, you know what _we_ can do? We can cause people _immense pain-_ ”

“ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!” Black*Star’s booming voice overpowered the rest. “HOW THE HELL AM I GONNA SURPASS GOD IF MY FOLLOWERS KEEP TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER?!”

“Who’s this clown?” Kim muttered.

“YOU! THE WITCH!”

“What?” Kim hissed defensively at the title.

Black*Star’s wide grin caused her to frown in confusion. “YOU SAID YOU GOT A WAY TO GET US OUT! THAT’S AWESOME!”

Kim took a step back, not knowing how to respond. “I... well… yeah.” She crossed her arms. “I just said that.”

The assassin gave her a thumbs up, causing a further scrunching of Kim’s eyebrows. “COOL! YOU DO THAT AND THEN WE CAN ALL GET OUT, GET THE REST AND KICK EVERYONE’S ASS!”

There was a small bout of silence.

“Oi girl,” Liz eventually called to the blonde. “Maka was it?”

“Yeah.”

“Use your Soul Perception to find…” Liz took a deep breath. “Death’s wavelength.”

“What?! Why-?”

“Because when we get out, me and Patty are gonna get to that bastard and plant a few bullets to their head, ain’t that right Patty?”

The other blonde nodded. “Let’s see if Grimmy can take a few bullets to the head too~”

“Dudes, you’ll die,” Soul called out.

Liz shrugged. “Nah.”

“Patty’s not gonna run away until I rip that bastard reaper a new one,” the young girl growled and let out a menacing laugh.

“It’s revenge,” Liz agreed. “For Kid.” She grimaced. “Mind you, if the bastard does get up, me and Patty are turning tail and running the fuck away.”

“I’ll come with you.” Maka said.

“Oi Maka,” Soul spoke up, “don’t do something stupid-”

“You don’t have to come with me. Soul.” The girl gave her Weapon a reassuring smile. “After all, someone told me once I’ve got a mean right hook,” she said with a rueful smile.

The boy rubbed his head. “Ah, dammit. I’m coming with ya. Won’t be the first stupid thing we’ve done together.”

“OI, YOU CAN’T FIGHT THE DEATH GOD WITHOUT ME!” Black*Star yelled before turning to the female ninja. “Whatcha say, Tsubaki? Wanna take down a God?”

The teen gave her Meister a surprised look. She looked at everyone then gulped and bowed. “It’ll be my honour.”

“YAHOO!”

“Ah, you’re all idiots!” Kim yelled in exasperation. “I give you one chance to escape and you’re gonna challenge the Grim Reaper!” She threw her hand up. “Fuck that, Jackie and I are getting out.”

The brunette nodded at Kim’s words.

The Witch let out a long suffering sigh. “Fuck it, it was nice knowing you all. Gonna get started now, so don’t distract me, k?” She put her hands down and revealed a bloodied forearm.

“Wait, are you bleeding?!” Soul asked, shocked.

“I’m building a magic circle, duh~ Blood makes it more powerful,” the girl snapped. “That way I can gather enough magic and make a blast powerful enough to get us all out.”

“You’re actually a-?!”

“Ding dong, jackpot! Yup, I’m a Witch, these weren’t metaphors or insults before. Must be nice when people don’t even have to invent another word to insult ya, right?” Kim said in fake cheer. “Though I can’t be fucking bothered to defend myself, not with all the clusterfucks my kin keep on endorsing,” she ranted to herself. “So, because I’m fucked either way, might as well make life difficult for these assholes.”

“So even though you’re a Witch you’re not with them?

“Yup, and now they must know I’m a traitor. Both sides. Medusa’s gotta figured out it was me who caused the royal rumble at the school. As for the Academy…” She pointed at them. “I was seen fighting with ya, not to mention you two,” she pointed at Liz and Patty, “got out under my watch. They’re bound get suspicious and test all possibilities, and I’d much rather reveal myself than be forced to...” She barely managed to hide her shiver. “You know what they do to see if you’re a Witch.”

“I know the song~!” Patty exclaimed.

“Good, so keep it to yourself.” Kim turned away and retreated into her cell. “Bloody psycho,” she hissed under her breath.

“Let’s do it and avenge Kid,” Maka said with renewed vigour.

“Well, I’m sure Kid’s screaming from wherever he is that you’re acting stupid and will die in vain,” Kim’s voice came from her cell.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

It would be fine, Kid thought. As long as no one acted stupid, they wouldn’t die in vain and he wouldn’t scream at them at the afterlife.

Also, while Theodore wasn’t looking, Kid had nicked a dagger. It was good to know that he still retained some skills from before, when life was simpler and consisted of his guardians trying to keep him safe while Maka kept pushing him to do dangerously stupid stuff. It was a precocious balance and Kid appreciated the routine and outliers it provided. He doubted he’d be able to return to those times though.

Right. Enough lamenting. His situation was slowly improving. He was about to see people that genuinely cared about him. Sure, explanations had to be given, but he would be fine. Plus, in the off chance that he was attacked, either by Theodore or some other party, Kid was armed. The dagger was a small flimsy thing, but it provided some sense of protection, even if imaginary. Honestly, the hardest thing was finding a place to store it, it’s not like cloaks had many hiding places available. First thing he would do when given some freedom was get a proper outfit, because a cloak and pants did not fit the aforementioned category. Not to mention the cloak was drafty and the fabric was too rough for his taste.

Eventually, Theodore was stopped by a few people. They spoke in hushed tones and Kid slightly frowned -wasn’t he supposed to be part of this conversation?

“I apologize, Milord, but some urgent information has come up,” Theodore eventually said as the other people walked away. Some briefly glanced at Kid, but a look from the boy sent them scuttling away. “It seems the Academy has been breached. Please, allow another person to escort you.”

Kid would have liked to know what type of _breach_ there was, but the desire to finally see a friendly face overpowered his curiosity. The teen nodded and another person appeared from the end of the hallway.

The Grim Reaper bit down hard on his tongue down to stop himself from cursing or emoting.

It was Joe.

Oh, this was going to be _lovely_.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

The duo walked in silence. Kid kept his gaze straight, whereas Joe kept glancing at the one beside him. Joe gulped multiple times, an action that went unnoticed by Kid since he was too busy trying not to punch the man for all the grief he’d caused him.

The adult gritted his teeth. This was as terrible as he’d imagined. It was unnerving, uncanny, and wrong. Maybe if he used his Soul Perception, he would confirm that the person next to him was not Kid, serving as a final nail for that coffin.

So, he did so, and stopped dead on his tracks. The Grim Reaper noticed the abrupt stop of movement and looked back to regard the man.

Joe looked down. His eyes met Kid’s. That Wavelength... Joe knew it. It was different, but had the same pattern, the same core… it was subtle, _extremely_ so, but it was _there_.

“It’s you,” the man blurted out.

The Grim Reaper’s eyes widened. Before Joe could react, he found himself pinned to a wall -when did the boy find the strength?!- but most importantly-

“Where’d you find a dagger?!”

“You have five seconds,” the inhuman hissed.

“I know you’re Kid!” the man blurted out.

“Good, so we’re both on the same page, but the seconds are still ticking down-”

“I want to help!”

Kid let out a patronising huff. “You. Want to help me?” The boy rolled his eyes. “I really have woken up in Bizzarro World, haven’t I?”

Joe stared at shock.

“What?” Kid asked in a dry tone.

“Why…?”

“Why what? Why am I still alive? Because I’m apparently the Grim Reaper. Why am I the Grim Reaper? Who knows-? I don’t.” The boy’s eyes hardened. “Or maybe you’re just wondering how you are still alive.”

“I meant what I said before,” the man quickly said. “I want to help.”

“Right,” the teen drawled. “And I’m supposed to believe you out of the goodness of my heart?”

“You don’t. Look...” Joe paused in thought. “Um… do I call you Kid or Death?”

The Grim Reaper just glowered in response.

“Look pal-”

“I’m not your friend.”

“And you have good reasons for that. I’ve been an ass. I just need to call you something.”

“How about you just get to the point?”

Joe did a false start. The man took a steadying breath and started again. “I have messed up, ok? Big time. With you, with the people here…” Joe sighed. “I just wanted to keep everyone safe.”

“Ah yes, safe. I definitely felt safer with a gaping wound on my chest.”

“I… You’re right,” Joe admitted. “You don’t have to believe me. Or keep me alive. Probably do more good when I’m not messing up things.”

Kid didn’t respond while he listened to Joe’s words. He hadn’t moved.

“If you can, try using your Soul Perception to see I’m not lying.” The man frowned. “Or can you already do that?”

“…No.”

“Oh. Uh... You can- I mean you should be able to do it if you focus. Probably.”

“Right,” Kid dryly responded. His ‘to-do’ list was rapidly expanding. “I’ll take the word of a spy about it.”

“Look.” Joe gulped. “My standing has always been precarious. Perks of being a spy. If you call the guards right now, or kill me, and then claim I tried to assassinate you… it won’t be hard for people to believe. Right now your word goes over mine.”

For a moment Kid closed his eyes. The adult frowned. Was the boy using Soul Perception? Maybe he was trying to do the trick Joe had mentioned? He doubted the kid would go far, Grim Reaper or not, considering Joe’s soul was basically a big ball emitting fear. Child or not, the man still sensed Death’s Wavelength and that was more than enough to raise instinctual alarms.

Slowly, the hand around his neck retracted. Same went for the dagger. Joe remained backed up to a wall as he rubbed his neck. Kid had taken a step back, but still regarded Joe with a guarded look.

“What’s your end game?” the boy asked.

“I just want to stop people from falling to the Madness. Protect those I care about.”

The two stared at each other. Eventually, Joe blinked and looked away. Kid’s gaze also fell to his dagger.

“Not a word about this,” the Grim Reaper eventually said as he pocketed his knife.

“About what?” Joe said in good humour.

Kid gave him an unamused glare.

Joe sighed. “Just when I try to lighten the tone.” He took a breath. “I won’t tell anyone. This never happened. If anyone asks, I didn’t even cross your path.”

The man slid across from Kid and began backing away. He had barely made a few steps when he heard the Grim Reaper call for him.

“One last thing.”

Joe looked around to regard the child. Kid opened his mouth to talk but briefly hesitated; Joe sensed it in the large yellow soul.

“Please don’t be afraid of me.” The boy gulped but locked eyes with the man. “I want to help people too.”

Joe put on a smile. “I know. It’s alright.”

His soul told otherwise.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid stopped just behind the corner where the adults were. He could sense their souls and hear hushed sounds coming from the cells. The boy gulped.

Oh this was going to be so awkward.

See, there were always these awkward moments where teens had to admit to their parents that they had kept something a secret. Maka did it when she had wanted to explore the city’s less favorable parts and had managed to drag Kid along -they both got grounded for a month. It was also present in some teen-aimed books, where the protagonist had to admit they had a boyfriend/girlfriend or something equally silly.

Kid on the other hand, had to explain that he was an eldritch deity.

Really, it was an unfair comparison.

With baited breath, Kid walked around the corner and the adults came into view.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Aggressively creates headcannons*
> 
> Ok so, if I recall correctly, what Kid had in the manga was more akin to OCPD than OCD (these two are often confused but are actually quite different in causes, symptoms and treatment). However, due to the differences in childhood and manifestations of power, Kid suffers from a mixture of both in this canon. I realize that I have taken some liberties with the psychology and mechanism behind the two, since they are not interchangeable. My reasoning is that though a Grim Reaper's psychology is quite similar to a human's, there are enough differences to allow for the aforementioned change, since it all stems from the 'Madness of the Great Old Ones'. So far his 'obsession' with Symmetry has been mild -mostly cause I'm terrible at writing such things and wanted an opt-out excuse. So, even later you may find that I am toning down Kid's obsessive nature. Sorry, but I don't feel comfortable enough as a writer that I'll do it justice.
> 
> That having being said, if you see me misrepresenting the disorder, drop me a message sprinkled with death threats. I'm not a fan of how some mental illnesses are misrepresented and would hate to be part of the problem.
> 
> Tl; dr: Kid's Madness manifests as combination of OCD and OCPD in this canon.


	16. Awkward Family Reunions

They were all giving him their coldest looks. Kid never thought he’d be the target of one of Azusa’s infamous death glares. Marie was even more unnerving because the boy didn’t even know the blonde woman had a death glare. Call him biased, but he was mostly focusing on these two.

Crap, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Kid looked back. The staff’s souls were too far away. Good, they couldn’t eavesdrop, so now was a good time to drop the guise and try to explain this clusterfuck.

The teen gulped. His poker face was starting to crumble. Maybe he should have counted the steps on the way here to check if they were symmetrical, maybe it would make things get better-

“Kid.”

The boy instinctively turned his head at the call. Later he couldn’t recall who had uttered the name. What he did remember was how Marie’s face briefly fell, but then all hope was crushed and her face adopted a fury he had last seen at the altar.

“If this is some kind of a sick joke-!”

“It’s me!” the boy caught her off, dropping his guise. He didn’t bother hiding his nervousness anymore, letting his shoulders slump, and not suppressing his now rapid breaths.

A heavy silence fell between them. No one dared speak.

Kid was aware of all the gazes on him. He clutched his fists and gulped, opening his mouth with no real plan on how to explain this whole mess.

The boy couldn’t find the words.

“…Kid?” Marie repeated.

“Yup, that’s me,” the boy muttered in a clearer tone. His poker face was non-existent at this point.

The change in atmosphere was instantaneous. Azusa’s face morphed to one of disbelief, whereas Marie’s one eye went wide.

“Marie, wait,” Azusa spoke up as soon as she saw the blonde woman adopt a hopeful expression.

“But Azusa-”

Azusa looked at Kid. Her gaze was still hard and the Grim Reaper felt like he was five all over again, when he had first encountered the woman’s strict gaze. “How do we know that is him? What if this is some kind of trick-?”

“It’s not!” Kid spoke up. “Look this is very confusing, I’m still not sure what’s going on,” Kid ranted. The words came like a whirlwind, spoken fast and in almost a single breath. “I had the exact same reaction, but the Head Priest seems to think the ritual worked so I’ve had to pretend so far, though maybe it’s not pretending anymore, but he wanted to kill you and...”

Kid took a deep breath. “…I had to see you,” the boy admitted. “I needed to talk to someone and…” he rubbed his eyes, “this is all so confusing and _chaotic_...” he trailed off.

Marie had a weakness for children. She liked caring for people in general, and she always viewed herself as a protector. Her strength was a manifestation of her protective nature so she could keep those she cared about safe. It often clashed with her non-confrontational side of her, the side who just wanted to settle down and live a quiet life. When she had decided to stick with Azusa, she had viewed it as a chance to protect a friend and an innocent new life unfairly dragged into this mess. It would be her chance to settle, start a family of sorts. It was an unorthodox one, but she had never minded. She liked her small squabbles with Azusa, caring for them both, raising Kid. The boy was a delight and she knew him just as well as any mother knew their child.

So when she looked at the person in front of her, she recognized the mannerisms, the tone of voice and the emotions as Kid’s. These things hadn’t changed; they had only become more frantic in a sign of confusion and fear. No one could fake another person to this degree.

“Kid…” Marie uttered as she wedged her hand through the bars and extended it to the boy’s direction. The boy hesitantly walked to her direction and gingerly took it.

Marie’s breath hitched from happiness. The hold was familiar too. The hand pulled back and Kid found himself in a tight hold. Marie was hugging him to the point of crushing him and muttering sweet nothings in Norwegian, sniffing occasionally.

“Still need to breathe,” the boy let out. Marie eased the strength of her hug, but still held him close. It would have been more comfortable if bars weren’t separating them, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Azusa had a keen eye for details. She excelled at noticing the things other missed, piecing together seemingly random and disconnected information to form a bigger whole.

This was what was happening right now.

She knew Kid’s wavelength. She had spent sixteen years with the boy, raising him with Marie as any parent would. She would check up on him often when he was younger, when her paranoia ran rampant. She would always look for that small soul at nights when her irrational fear of getting abducted at night overcoming her rational side and get some comfort that her unconventional family was with her and safe…

It was yellow now, and its Wavelength was more powerful and foreign to her. However, if she really focused she could make out a faint similarity to the Wavelength of that smaller blue soul she had spent sixteen years with. It was like seeing old baby photos of the boy; the resemblance was uncanny.

_This was Kid._

Before the boy knew it, he was engulfed in another hug. Azusa’s embrace wasn’t as suffocating as Marie’s, but it was still tight.

The three stayed like this for quite some time.

"Kid…” Marie continued muttering, this time regaining some of her composure and switching to English. “Oh my child, what did they do to you, you must have been so stressed, I mean look at the white in your hair…"

“Let’s-not-talk-about-those,” the boy hissed, automatically putting hand up to fix his hair. Marie just held him tighter and kept muttering nonsense in happiness.

“This is intriguing…” came a male voice from one of the cells. Kid froze stiff at the sound of it and disengaged himself from the hug. He walked to the side, until he saw the owner of a voice, a grey-haired, labcoat-wearing man with a screw protruding from his head.

Kid looked in shock between Stein and the rest. “That _maniac_ is with you?!”

“I’d prefer the term enthusiast, thank you,” the scientist said, nonplussed.

“What-?”

“He attacked me!” Kid pointed accusingly at the man. “He wanted to dissect me-!”

“What-?!”

“I didn’t know he was your kid-” Stein calmly began.

“That’s no excuse for wanting to dissect a child!” Azusa interrupted him.

“Which we now find out is not exactly a simple child, is it?” the scientist pointedly added, causing Kid to take a defensive step back.

“That’s why Sid said Kid was angry at you,” Spirit commented in the background.

“You didn’t tell us!” the Japanese woman accused the grey haired man.

“Of course not, I knew how you’d react.”

“ _Franken Stein_!” Marie spelled out. “When I get out of this cage, I am going to kick your ass!”

“She’ll have my support,” came Azusa’s deadly calm voice.

“Why thank you, Yumi.”

“It’ll be my pleasure, Marie.”

“Oi, oi, oi!” Spirit interrupted the two. “Let’s figure out what’s going on and you can kick Stein’s ass later.”

“Can you please not kill each other?” Kid timidly asked amidst the cacophony.

“Uh, I have a question,” came Sid’s thoroughly confused voice. “Does anyone know what happened to me?”

Kid turned toward the man, fully acknowledging him for the first time. “Oh dear, you were the corpse on the table.”

“Hey!” the man greeted him. “My name is Sid.”

“Oh, hi.” Kid greeted back. “Um, thank you for punching that madman before.”

“I have a name too.”

Kid just glared at the grey haired man.

“So uh… what’s going on?” Mira asked when everyone had calmed down somewhat. She turned to Kid. “Weren’t you supposed to be… gone?”

“Yes- well, turns out things are a bit more complicated than that…” Kid trailed off.

“You’re stalling,” Stein observed.

“Ah, yes, I am, how observant…”

“You’re _still_ stalling.”

Kid took a sharp breath. He nodded while slowly exhaling.

“Kid?” Marie asked in worry. Her voice was soft. “Is… is there something you want to tell us?”

The boy looked away from the people before taking another deep breath. “It is very likely, actually a certainty at this point, that I am…” the boy grimaced, “the Grim Reaper,” he quickly hissed the last two words.

“…You’re joking,” came Spirit’s voice.

Kid shook his head.

Azusa frowned as Marie gave Kid a lost look. “How- why-?” the blonde asked.

“Well, first reason is that I’m still standing here… being me.” the teen shrugged. “I’m… fairly certain of that fact.”

No one else dared interrupt.

“Secondly, it’s because I’ve long had suspicions that I’m not exactly,” he gulped, “norm…” he cut himself off, “human.”

“What do you mean?” Spirit asked.

“Well, um, don’t be mad.” Kid quickly said as he looked at the two women. “But I may have…hidden some things from you.”

“Hidden?”

“Kid,” Marie cut Azusa off. She was kneeling, below the boy’s eye level, but had her gaze fixed on him. “ _What_ have you not told us?”

“Ah, and that’s where things get…creepy, I guess.” The boy took another steadying breath. “I believe you may have noticed the lack of bleeding wounds, or any other wounds in general.” The adults grimaced or frowned at the mention of wounds. For Kid it was a sober reminder of the events at the altar. He placed a comforting hand to his chest. “I’ve… I’ve been able to do that from quite some time. Heal wounds fast I mean. I think the first time I noticed was when I was about eight or ten… at the construction site, where one of the guys there turned out to be a pre-Kishin.”

Azusa stood up straighter. “Did he hurt you-?”

“No, no, nothing so dramatic,” Kid nervously laughed. “Um, I fell down and slashed my palm. Then I got up and was coming to you but then… things happened and uh…” he grimaced. “Well, I decided it was best to keep this to myself.”

“Because it wasn’t normal?” Stein spoke up, ignoring the glares from the two women and Spirit.

Kid squirmed under the man’s gaze. “…Yes.”

“You didn’t want to deviate from the norm. Why is that? Did you make a conscious decision of hiding it? Maybe it was an instinct to keep a low profile until-”

“Stein…” Marie warned him in a low growl. The grey-haired man raised his hands defensively and kept quiet.

“It was the woman’s words,” Kid admitted.

“Whose…? Oh” Azusa paused. “ _Oh_.”

“Oi, we aren’t psychic,” Spirit said. “What are we missing?”

“There was a woman there.” Marie replied. “She… said a few things about Kishin and wounds.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t want to be identified as one, so I kept silent. Lots of good that did in the end,” Kid bitterly added.  “And then there’s the… things that happened at the altar.” The boy fiddled with his shirt, playing with the buttons located at this heart.

“How are you walking with that wound?” Sid asked.

“There’s no wound. Not anymore.” Kid quickly undid a button to show smooth wound-less skin.

“Your healing is that fast?”

“Not before that, it wasn’t.”

“Geez Kid.” Spirit flinched as he recalled the memory. “Must have hurt a lot.”

“It did, but it wasn’t that bad.” Kid said offhandedly. He put his hands up in defense when he saw the adult’s shocked looks. “No, I mean, it hurt like hell, but then what happened…”

“Yes?” Marie urged him on.

“I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but it felt like I... woke up.”

There was another small period of silence which was eventually broken by Azusa.

“Maybe it was the stress…?”

“No there’s more to that!” Kid spoke up. “I mean, everything became sharper, I can see better, I can hear better, my Soul Perception has become amazingly clear, I can even recognize people’s souls! And well, some of the awkwardness is gone. I just…” the boy chuckled to himself. “I just feel more… alive, if that’s possible.” His smile fell when he realised the two women didn’t reciprocate it. “I… could it be that I’ve always been one? But well, I didn’t know, you didn’t know, no one really knew until things got to a certain…limit?”

“And you claim you don’t have any memories from before?” Stein asked.

“Before…?”

“Before you grew up with Azusa and Marie.”

Kid shook his head. “No. I tried to do so these last few days, thinking maybe I do, but… missed it somehow.” The boy sighed. “I’m drawing a blank.”

The adults and Grim Reaper stood in silence. Kid looked away in discomfort.

“Well,” Marie eventually said, closing her one good eye. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” She sighed and looked at Kid, extending her arms out of the bars.

Kid hesitantly reached out and soon found himself in another tight hug.

“You be careful, ok? Lots of strange things are going on.”

“I have to find a way to get you out.”

“We’ll be fine. Remember, tough nuts.” Marie broke from the hug to gently cup Kid’s face. “Focus on keeping your cover, or well, façade. We’ll find a way to break out and figure out what’s going on.” Azusa and Spirit nodded in agreement.

“I’ll try and visit again.”

“Make sure you don’t look suspicious while doing so,” Azusa advised him. “I’d say it’s best to keep a low profile, but the way things are now…”

Kid gave her a rueful smile. “At least I don’t have to worry about being killed…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

As Kid exited the wing, he sensed Joe’s soul ahead. Frowning, he walked up to the man.

“You’re still here,” the boy said in displeasure.

“I have to escort you in and out, remember?”

“Right,” Kid blankly replied. He was in a less cranky mood now that he had talked to a familiar friendly face. “Why do I need an escort in the first place?”

“You’ll get lost.”

“No I won’t. I remember the way.” The Grim Reaper huffed. “Besides what if I did? Everyone here can sense my soul and it’s not like there’s a forbidden area I can’t enter.”

“Theodore’s orders,” the man said in defeat and began walking along the hallway.

Kid groaned as he followed Joe. “I’m starting to feel less like the Head of the Academy and more like an intern.”

“Maybe it’s because you haven’t met with the council yet?”

“Oh right, that delightful meeting. I can hardly wait,” Kid drawled. “My cover feels safer by the day.”

“It’s not like you need to keep up a façade. You are the Grim Reaper and they can’t really do anything about that.”

“No, but they can try _influencing_ me and I don’t need to remind you how our last conversation about ‘being safe’ worked out,” Kid said, bringing a hand to rub his neck.

Joe recalled a pool of blood with an unmoving body with its throat cut lying in the middle. “No, you don’t.”

“Not to mention if that crazy madman decided on torture he’ll have free reign because he knows he won’t be able to inflict permanent damage.”

“He won’t be able to really hurt you though, right?”

“No, but I am perfectly capable of feeling pain.” Kid’s gaze hardened. “We need to make our move fast.”

“It’s best if you wait until the meeting with the Council to form a plan. Theodore wields a lot of influence and taking him out won’t turn public opinion in your favor and will cause conflict within the Academy.”

“Ok then, we need to move at a reasonable pace. Destabilize Theodore’s influence, then take him out.”

“And then?”

Kid hesitated. “It’s a work in progress. As you said, I need to meet up with the council and see if the Academy is capable of doing anything else than ritualistic sacrifices.”

The two walked in silence for a bit. Joe stopped just before they were about to enter an area with many living souls outside. Kid didn’t sense Theodore’s soul among them, so they were probably heading for Kid’s quarters now. He had been told the Council meeting was tomorrow so he had some time to work on his façade and give himself a mental pep-talk.

“How’d it go by the way?” the man asked.

“I wasn’t disavowed, so that’s a success in my book.”

Joe frowned. “Uh...”

Kid sighed. “It went about as well as you’d expect. They were shocked, but at least they don’t believe I’m possessed or anything.”

“I dunno, both explanations are just as crazy, huh?” Joe asked in good humor.

“It’s not funny,” was the deadpan reply.

“Oh, uh…” The man rubbed his neck and began to walk out.

“Hold on,” Kid said grabbing the man’s arms and dragging him further away from the souls. “You caught a few teens as well, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” Joe answered. He didn’t comment on how he found the teen’s grab too spine-chilling for his tastes. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to visit them too. We have the guards to worry about and it’ll look suspicious.”

“Dammit,” Kid muttered and crossed his arms. “And it’s not like you’re trustworthy enough to explain the situation to them.”

“Ouch.”

Kid flinched. “Sorry, that was rude.”

“No, I get it. I wouldn’t trust me either.” Joe sighed. “Still, we should try sneaking in and getting them out. They may be in danger.”

“What do you mean?” Kid said with urgency.

“There’s a Witch among them.”

Kid’s frame relaxed and was just about to reply, but Joe cut him off.

“I’ve reported her though, so they should be… safe…?” the man trailed off as he saw Kid’s increasingly horrified expression.

“You reported Kim?!”

“Yeah… I mean I never thought she would be one-”

“That must have been the breach Theodore said…” Kid muttered, ignoring Joe’s words. He leaned back against a wall and began rubbing his temples.

“Uh, Kid?”

“I’m considering banging my head against a wall right now.”

“But she’s-”

“I know she was a Witch! I worked with her when I was imprisoned here.” The boy sighed and a hand through his hair. “She helped me out.”

Joe was about to protest that one shouldn’t really conspire with a Witch, but then he remembered that he himself was doing that with an eldritch deity. Call him many names, but the man did not like being a hypocrite. “Oh. Crap.”

Kid just groaned in exasperation. 99 problems it was again.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

As Kid left with a final farewell, silence fell over the dungeons. Marie and Azusa kept her gazes at the exit. Spirit settled down on his cell and scratched his head, while Stein as nonchalantly sprawled in his. Sid kept his gaze to Kid and turned it to the floor when he left. Mira had remained silent during the exchange.

“So,” Stein said, breaking the silence. “A Grim Reaper. That was unexpected.”

"Would you mind explaining? ‘Cause I’m lost," Sid added.

"Kid is the Grim Reaper but he didn’t know about it."

"How is that even possible?!"

“There is one way I can think of,” Stein said. “I have certain… sources I’ve been studying before the ritual happened. They were quit illuminating in a few matters. For example, a weak reaper could possess a body or hide in it, if too weak to create its own vessel. The weaker the Grim Reaper is, then the weaker the vessel must be and also to ‘overwrite’ previous memories in brain to prevent complications such as identity dysphoria.” Stein leaned back on his cell. “Imagine you wake up one day and the memories you have are not yours.”

“Ugh,” Spirit shuddered. “Like a parasite?”

“Is it a parasite if its host is already dead?”

“But Kid…”

“How old was Kid when you found him?”

“He was a baby…” Marie frowned, “He couldn’t have been older than a year…”

"So, part of the Grim Reaper's soul must have taken refuge into a dead child. It could be an intentional search for a vessel or just an accident. The only one who can answer that is Kid himself."

"Wait how does that even work?! Is the kid dead- like a zombie-?"

“No,” Stein immediately said. “It’s… complicated.”

Spirit paused his frantic rant. "Huh?"

The scientist sighed. “Kid is not a zombie, nor is he being possessed. The facts don’t line up.” He sat up straighter, like a teacher about to deliver a lecture. "A zombie is when a soul and its body reconnect after they have been ripped apart. Thing is, when the soul is separated, the body decomposes. Reconnecting the soul pauses the decomposition but the damage is irreversible. Sid has been complaining about stiffness, hasn’t he?"

"Yeah, every morning he goes 'I’m not the fit man I used to be' and stuff like that,” Mira’s voice echoed from her cell.

“I don’t always do that,” the man in question protested.

"Point is that the connection doesn’t mean the body recovers. This comes in contrast with Kid, who has been developing as expected."

“He has a faint scar on his belly…” Marie recalled. “We thought it was odd, since he seemed far too young to have one.”

“Could be what killed the original host.”

Spirit huffed. "It’s not like Kid has been developing well. He's still kind of a pipsqueak."

"Which bring me to the other condition; possession." Stein took a puff from his cigarette. "In some ways, possession is the exact opposite of zombies. In most cases it is a rogue soul which inhabits a soulless body. There's also what some people call reverse-possession where objects, most commonly bewitched artefacts, trap souls within their confines...ah, I’m getting off topic." Stein twisted his screw. "As I was saying, possession is the connection between a mismatched body and soul, usually at the soul’s command. In that case the soul has control of the body, like a puppeteer and a puppet."

"Creepy..."

"I prefer the term fascinating. Anyways, the problem with possession is that it usually doesn’t last long. The connection is forced and thus under constant strain."

"So, if Kid was possessed, he'd have dropped dead a long time ago?"

“Exactly. This is where it gets interesting." Stein grinned. "What if you had a soul powerful enough to establish a strong connection with a body?  What if the leftover energy from Death followed the fractured soul and embedded itself within the body, transforming it from the inside out? Eventually you wouldn’t have to worry about the body rejecting the soul or about a less-than-ideal zombie connection thanks to the aforementioned possession. As time passed, you'd get the strong connection from the zombie state and body responsiveness from possession."

"That sounds like something straight out of a horror movie Stein. I admit, Kid's a creepy child but not that kind of creepy."

The scientist shrugged. "The intriguing part is what happened to the previous 'Death'. Is Kid just suffering from amnesia, or is something completely different going on and he is his own separate individual? So many questions…" Stein rotated his screw, "and no permission to dissect."

“Geez,” Spirit groaned. “This is so confusing.” He turned to the other two women. “How are you two dealing with this?”

“I’m still processing it,” Azusa muttered, rubbing her temples. The woman was confused, for lack of a better term. She was aware that Kid wasn’t a normal child, and she didn’t mind. No one in her close circle of friends could be considered normal yet they had semi-functional lives. Kid, despite all his eccentricities, was a good child, polite, considerate and most importantly had a good head on his shoulders. At worst, Azusa feared the child had a connection to a Witch or some other unsavory family history.

Being the Grim Reaper however… That was a different can of worms, one that she didn’t know if she wanted to open yet. There were many things Azusa knew -or thought she knew- about the Grim Reaper and to consider them and Kid as the same individual… It put quite a strain on her.

As for Marie, she frowned and looked away.

She and Azusa had, at one point talked to each other about Kid’s mysterious past; they had an especially thorough conversation when they were alone and after their boy was kidnapped. Witches, pre-Kishin, even a non-human origin such as the infamous Immortals had been brought up as possibilities. In each case the women had decided that it was best they reminded Kid that it was the individual who decided their fate, not their origins. Even with this unexpected revelation, Marie still believed in their shared conclusion.

“But then why was the ritual a success?” came Sid’s voice from his cell.

“It wasn’t really,” the scientist answered. “Death was already here.”

“Then what did it achieve? You all were there, _something_ happened at the altar.”

“You heard the Grim Reaper’s words. He said it was like he woke up,” Stein explained.  “My guess is that there was something holding him back. A defense mechanism of sorts, to hide his latent capabilities and hide him from the Kishin and other hostile forces.” The scientist frowned. “Couldn’t have been pleasant, since they’d be suppressing part of themselves, but it would be preferable to oblivion.”

The two women thought back on Kid’s early clumsiness and the later awkwardness whenever they brought up the boy’s appearance. They had attributed the later to general teenage angstiness, and the earlier to just kids being kids.

“But I don’t understand. The souls of people were stuck. If Kid had always been the Grim Reaper, then why were souls unable to pass on?”

“Again, I don’t have all the data yet, but I think a key thing was that the Reaper’s Wavelength was suppressed. I’m not sure of the mechanics behind it, but I think the side effects of it would be why there seemingly was no Death.”

“Seemingly?” Sid asked.

“The physical body still fell apart, didn’t it?”

The zombie didn’t respond, looking down on his own form. He had many questions of his own, most related to his unique situation. He hadn’t gotten the chance to ask the young Grim Reaper about it yet, but would when he got the chance.

Sid hoped that explanation wouldn’t end up with him dying for good. He trusted Azusa and Marie to raise a good kid, but then one had to account for nature and Sid was, by his own account, rightfully weary.

“Anyways,” Stain continued, “the ritual must have dissolved whatever was suppressing the Grim Reaper’s Wavelength, which is why we’re in this situation right now.” He gave a mocking smile to the two women. “Guess you two were lucky, or unlucky enough to raise a Grim Reaper in your midst.”

Azusa scowled at the scientist in annoyance whereas Marie didn’t acknowledge him, lost in her thoughts.

Spirit sighed. “That’s all fine and dandy, but what the hell do we do now?”

“We find a way to escape and get the children and Kid out too,” the Scandinavian woman curtly replied.

“Marie, he’s-”

“The Grim Reaper. I know. We’ve clearly established that. But, he’s also Kid, the boy I’ve raised for fifteen years. I may not be his biological mother, but I _know_ him. And right now, he was just as confused as we are. Personally, the first thing I’d want is to go to my family for support and that’s what Kid did. He probably hasn’t told us everything there is and that’s fine. There are things he may not know yet.” She grabbed her bars in determination. “What we can do now is support him any way we can and work on an escape plan. Then, we can talk about minor details.”

“I wouldn’t call ‘being the personification of Death’ a minor detail,” the scientist commented.

“I am still going to kick your ass Stein,” Marie said in a monotone.

The grey-haired man slumped in his cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kid’s ‘origins’ are also explained. This again will differ from the official canon since there Lord Death had the time and peace of mind to create Kid. In this canon however, it was more like an ‘oh-shit-I-am-dying-but-can’t-let-Asura-be-the-only-Grim-Reaper-fuck-everything’ situation, which meant a tiny, barely self-aware Grim Reaper Soul frantically searching for something to anchor too.


	17. Unwillingly Living on the Edge

A few days had passed since Death’s 'awakening'. Kid had tried to stall any and all of Theodore's plans as much as possible, claiming to be 'not get adjusted to his surroundings', an excuse that certainly rang true that first night. Besides the Council meeting, Theodore had given in to Kid’s requests.

Speaking of that first unsettling night after his true nature was revealed, Kid hadn’t had any more dreams with that mysterious imaginary friend. Granted, it had only been a few days since the dream and he did not have another panic attack, meaning the figure had no real reason to appear. Still, Kid didn’t know if it was a glitch or something else.

To be honest the figure felt...reassuring. Like looking through a mirror, though not quite.

Anyways, Kid’s excuse had its limits. Theodore was getting antsy and with the stunt of defiance Kid pulled last night he was running out of plausible excuses. Sneaking out was a risky option, as there were guards outside Kid’s rooms -which the boy thought were unnecessary- plus Theodore insisted on following like a shadow anytime he stepped out of his quarters, which was a relatively rare occurrence.

Good thing was that Kid had a plan. Well, part of a plan.

Theodore's explanation was that the Academy was governed by a council, with the Head Priest acting as some sort of a Dean. Barzai was the face of the Academy and could not make decisions without having to consult the Council. Extra intel from Joe indicated the Council had power of its own and supporters from many factions so Theodore couldn’t go full dictator mode, or he would be deposed. So far he had been able to wield influence by acting in lieu of ‘Death’, through some complicated rites and selection process which made little sense to Kid.

The most important part was that there was a balance to it and Kid was going to take advantage of it by trying to slowly turn each of the members against the Head Priest.

Now, the only thing left was to meet up with the Council and see if he could spot a weak link.

His first pick should have been someone either dissatisfied with Theodore or fiercely loyal to the Grim Reaper. Ideally, Kid would choose one with both qualities, but such a person would be rare. If forced to pick, he would go with someone against Theodore, their opinion of the Grim Reaper notwithstanding. After all, Kid still had no idea how being the Grim Reaper worked and combined with his inexperience it would potentially be viewed as negative quality. Last thing he wanted to be seen was as a child having a tantrum.

Besides, even if the theoretical weak link hated Death, Kid could pretend that he was just some teen with a hell of a poker face that had found themselves in an impossible situation. Of course, it would complicate things in the long run, but disposing Theodore ranked higher in his 'to do' list.

Speaking of which, Kid may have a slight image problem. The young Grim Reaper had no bloody clue how Death was supposed to act, and he had no time nor access to look up on historical sources and attempt to construct a facade that went further than ‘blank looks’. He had managed to keep appearances, but that was because he had not been asked to make any decisions yet. He hoped it wouldn’t be ‘uncharacteristic’ of the Grim Reaper to act like a decent human being, though with some of the rumours, Death acting charitable would be like Scrooge giving away his fortune; plausible, but probably the result of extenuating circumstances.

Kid played with the hem of his cloak as he sat on the head of a long rectangle table. The starchy fabric rubbed and irritated the skin at the base of his neck. If Kid had any less self-control, he would be scratching the area like a madman. Instead, the Grim Reaper busied himself by looking around the empty room, appreciating its symmetry. The table was located in the middle of the room, with six chairs facing the sides and a lone one on one end, where Kid was seated to. The six chairs were uniform and looked plain but comfortable. Kid’s chair had a few more details on it, such as multiple engraving of skulls on the armrests.

The décor wasn’t limited to the chairs though. Behind Kid and facing the entrance was an extensive tapestry which seemed to have been created centuries ago. It was a massive structure, easily three meters high and six meters wide taking up the entirety of the wall. It depicted a ravaged Earth, where tiny dark figures, probably stand-in for humans, fled from larger, better defined, feminine silhouettes. The two factions were split between the two halves, and most likely depicted the ancient conflicts between Witches and the rest of humanity. Many fallen figures were scattered across the Dead Land, with occasional blotches of red interrupting bare brown land. Behind them all, taking up the larger part of the horizon and obscuring half the moon was a figure made up almost entirely of black, save for a jawless human skull serving as a face, smack dab in the centre of the tapestry; Death.

Kid had given the brief tapestry a brief look before turning his back on it and gulping. Compared to that monstrous figure, Kid looked positively puny.

The door creaked open, and Kid broke off from his thoughts to focus on the people entering the room. Along with Theodore, Kid recognized some of them from before. Some were involved in the fight at the altar.

“Milord,” Theodore bowed deferringly. “The Council has arrived. I will make haste with introductions.”

It took a considerable part of Kid's willpower not to reach for his chest in reassurance it was no longer bloody and torn. Instead, his left hand rested close to his hip, where his hidden dagger was.

Theodore took his seat to the right of Kid, a succinct way of declaring himself as the Grim Reaper’s right hand man. The others also took their seats in relative silence, occasionally glancing at the Grim Reaper bit mostly keeping to themselves. There were only five of them, meaning they were either missing a member, or never had a sixth one in the first place. Whatever the case, that empty sixth chair and asymmetrical arrangement was sure to give the boy a headache.

"Gertrude Oldbag," the Head Priest gestured towards a gruff woman who nodded in acknowledgement. "Head of Operations."

Kid recognised her from before. She was one of the people who had assaulted them at the van with Joe. She was also at the ritual, fighting for the Academy’s side.

The woman must have sensed Kid’s look, for she went stiff and then stared back.

She wouldn’t be Kid’s first pick. From their previous encounters, she seemed too loyal to the Academy and Kid was an unknown. Her guarded expression didn’t help things. Kid could try guilt-tripping her, for her soul resembled Marie’s in the fierce but lovable department, but he wasn’t sure how effective such an approach would be.

“Tezca Tlipoca,” Theodore gestured to an unknown man. “Weapons Division and in charge of relation with the government.”

For a moment, Kid thought they had just played a practical joke on him. After all, the man they just indicated to was wearing an oversized bear head, more befitting of a mascot. There was also a monkey at his shoulder.

A thought popped up which commented that it would be best if Tezca had a monkey on his other shoulder as well for the sake of symmetry.

More than that, Kid couldn’t help but notice the strained tone at which the Head Priest uttered the strange man’s name. The boy didn’t know why there was such a dislike. Maybe it was the bear head?

Whatever the case, if Tezca had earned Theodore’s dislike made the man a more attractive option. Kid just had to make sure that the dislike was reciprocated, but didn’t extend to the young Grim Reaper via association.

Theodore pointed to a stiff slender man. “George Giatromedakis. General Secretary." Despite George’s thinning grey hair and nonthreatening frame, the man had looked at Kid straight in the eyes, fearless. Kid would be impressed if he wasn’t feeling slightly intimidated by the man's calculating look.

What was it with old men and hostility in this place?

"Misery Wilkins." Theodore gestured to a plump plain woman approaching her mid-thirties. "Head of Internal Affairs.”

The woman was exceedingly plain, giving a brief nod then returning her gaze to seemingly nowhere. Like with George and to a lesser extent, Gertrude and Tezca, she was too much of an unknown.

At that moment, Joe of all people entered the room. He looked worn and for one painfully long moment Kid dreaded his cover had been blown by Joe betraying him, and that this whole room would devolve into fighting. Such fears were mostly put to rest when the blonde gave a formal nod to the people in the room and sat on the empty seat. Kid realised he had unconsciously reached and griped his dagger.

"Joe Buttataki," Theodore indicated. "Head of the Academy's Intelligence Agency."

The young Grim Reaper slightly frowned at Joe. The man had told him he was a simple spy and he definitely hadn’t mentioned being in the Council. Had he withdrawn information? If so, why?

"Mr. Buttataki is a recent admission to the Council. He took over since we confirmed that the head of the division, Sid Barrett had... turned away from the Academy."

Sid? Wasn’t that the undead man who trailed with the adults?

Even if Kid still had questions, Theodore’s words did explain Joe’s hasty appearance.

"This is news to us as well," Misery spoke up giving Joe what she probably thought was a friendly look but ended up as a leer. "We were unaware of Sid’s situation."

"Is this what we are here to discuss?" George asked, intertwining his fingers.

"It is something we will discuss today..." Theodore answered. "But first we must also acknowledge the biggest and most important change we could have expected.”

He turned to Kid and bowed. The others soon copied the gesture. "Lord Death. It is an honour."

Kid glanced around while simultaneously hoping the Earth would crack open and swallow him whole. Joe's bow was perfectly subservient. There was some stiffness in Tezca's though that may just be the bear head. Gertrude and Misery's bows weren’t enthusiastic but didn’t show any sign of rebellion. George’s bow was the stiffest, though Kid felt that was due to a lack of respect rather that a sign of displeasure.

Things weren’t looking very bright.

"About Sid's situation...” Theodore spoke up when the niceties were done with, reverting the gazes from Kid to him, a gesture which Kid was secretly glad about. “We have resorted to simply locking him away with the other traitors. His situation is unique. We were informed that the man had had his body irreparably damaged while fighting one of the Gorgon sisters, so he shouldn’t even be walking around, especially in that state.”

"Could you tell us how it happened?” Auntie hesitantly asked. “Sid is -was- an honest and hard-working man."

"Quite," George added. "He was a respected colleague. And, if I may, his situation seems to involve your... jurisdiction, milord."

Of course they’d ask. Of course they’d expect an actual answer.

Kid definitely couldn’t admit his growing suspicion that he was responsible for that man's situation. After all, Death hadn’t been 'awakened' at the time. So, how else to explain a man suddenly 'coming back to life'?

"There was definitely some meddling," Kid answered cryptically, mostly because he didn’t have anything more concrete than ‘I may have accidentally revived him while being chased by a mad scientist who wanted to dissect me’. Kid frowned at his next few words. "One of the men among your prisoners... He calls himself a scientist, correct-?"

If Kid was to blame anyone, he might as well go with the guy who wanted to dissect him. Plus, the teen couldn’t think of another way to explain Sid’s resurrection without implicating himself.

"Franken Stein is a madman!” Theodore said, banging his hand on the table. "You suppose that heathen had the guts to try and defy you by bringing a man back to life?!"

Auntie’s face had turned cold, while Joe gave Kid a brief glance.

"That matters not-" Kid began, trying to placate the old man.

"The man is our captive. Surely we can make him regret ever-"

"Theodore, please." Kid said, trying to fake a calm tone. "What is done is done. There is no changing the past."

That seemed to calm down the man.

"Besides, that’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?" Kid muttered as an afterthought. "Bring back some Order..."

There was that mental itch again.

"...How should we proceed with Sid then?" Joe asked, breaking up the silence that ensued.

The High Priest huffed. "Obviously an abomination like him cannot be allowed to exist. We should dispose of him as quickly as possible-"

"We shouldn't rush into things," Kid spoke up, cutting Theodore off. "I visited them yesterday and gained some insight about their situation," Kid said, hoping this was vague enough to not give away his secret but also specific enough to not warrant further inquiry. "Mr Barrett was simply misguided. He is a very determined individual, but he poses no threat, especially when one considers his precarious standing with me."

"So…” Tezca spoke up. “You are saying Sid should be brought back as official staff?"

The Council members weren’t looking at Theodore when asking the question. Their gazes were instead focused on Kid.

Kid intertwined his hands and frowned. A way to get out Sid and Naigus... The key question was with whom they would side if they were freed. On one hand, they had worked with the DWMA, so they may not approve of Kid’s plan of seizing power. His second reservation was that he didn’t know these two people well. However, they were cooperating with Marie and Azusa and had endangered themselves by coming to his rescue, and that served as a clear indication of where their moral compass was. Even if they didn’t outright support Kid, they at least wouldn’t throw their lot with Theodore.

…Hopefully. If there was one thing Kid had learned was not rely on the Universe making sense.

The Grim Reaper looked up to the Council members. "Yes, that seems to be a fair course of action. The same goes for his Weapon partner of course."

The members looked among themselves. George raised an eyebrow, while Gertrude shot a look at Misery and Tezca. Joe's face remained blank.

"There is also the matter of the Madness," George eventually spoke up, his voice was low and grandfatherly-like. "It has been spreading, affecting territories closer to us by the day."

"Agreed,” Tezca said. “The capital is getting more nervous by the day since they’re closer to the fighting than the Academy.”

“We keep getting pushed back these last few years,” George added with a grim nod. “Texas has been completely overtaken and the Kishin’s forces keep slowly gaining territory.”

“Isn’t here any way we can fight back?” Kid hesitantly asked. The Grim Reaper wasn’t a tactical genius, so he had to tread carefully and see the options available. He didn’t wasn’t anyone rushing out and getting themselves killed just case he said so.

"…Are you suggesting a direct offensive to the Kishin?" Tezca asked, his soul giving a slight tremble.

It was a good thing Kid was already pale, because all blood left his face at the mere mention of fighting the _Kishin_. With all that was happening, he had forgotten that the end goal of the Grim Reaper and the Academy was to take down the so-called God of Fear.

He didn’t want to cross that bridge anytime soon.

Kid had grown up in an area completely under the Kishin’s reign. It was a constant malevolent presence over them, like the constant black clouds that overlooked the blood red sky. A reminder that existence was short and futile, that the Gods were either dead or insane and that this was the way things were now. 

Kid was supposed to kill _that_? When the Kishin had already defeated a version of Death who probably had their wits about them?

Ha.

"No, nothing like that,” the Grim Reaper answered, maybe a bit too quickly. "I am still recuperating," he added, though what he really though was more along the lines of ‘I can’t fight a Demon God, are you nuts-? I don’t even know what I can do yet’. "I’m suggesting raids of smaller scale at contested areas…"

"We could start our offensives at the Madness Relays," George suggested.

"Madness Relays?"

"They are a recent invention by the Witch Arachne," Joe explained. "They take the Kishin's Wavelength and amplify it, acting as a focal point for the Madness. With each one we destroy, we limit the Kishin's reach."

"The closest one is at the border, right?" Auntie asked. “We were about to mount an offensive, but…”

“Your resurrection took priority,” George concluded in a neutral tone, “…Sir,” he added after glancing at Theodore.

Oh good, so that meant who knows how many people plunged into the depths of Madness.

"Milord, I must object. Your services are still needed here. The people have forgotten you-” began the Head Priest.

“Action speak louder than words,” Kid interrupted him with an even tone. Theodore gave the boy alight scowl before it dissolved into a blank stare. Kid stared back.

The others noticed the exchange and stayed silent. George crossed his hands while Joe slightly frowned the two.

"I trust you with handling the logistics,” the Grim Reaper eventually added.

"Of course."

"And I insist I participate in the raids,” Kid added before the old man could protest.

"... Of course," Theodore repeated, this time a bit too forcefully.

Several floors below them, in the dark catacombs of the Academy, Kim stepped back from the rear wall of her cell. Her spell, an intricate complex of magic circles and other geometrical patterns, made up most of the stone structure.

Kim was mostly done with her construct. The basic skeleton of her design was done. All she needed now was add the details, shed her Soul Protect and chant the incantation which summoned her magic.

She glanced back where the younger of the two sisters was yapping to the guards, serving as a nice distraction. Maka, who was on the cell opposite to her, gave her a reassuring nod that the coast was clear. However, her smile soon faded as the girl’s eyes glazed over as Kim raised an eyebrow. She knew Maka could perform Soul Perception, but was doubtful she was any good at it. From what she knew it was a horribly inaccurate sense, often causing people to see things that weren’t even there.

“Someone’s coming,” the girl whispered to the Witch, her voice barely audible over Patty’s.

Kim frowned, but stepped back, looking over her design once more. She would need some time to ensue she placed the correct details at the correct spot. Any mistake could lead to an uncontrolled collapse, easily burying someone in their group.

“Is Kim Diehl with you?” an unknown voice asked, barely audible over Patty’s nonsensical rambling.

“Oi, you, keep quiet!” the guard yelled, to no avail.

“What do you need those for?” Maka loudly asked, making sure the Witch had heard her clearly.

In her cell, a sudden chill went through Kim’s frame. Goddamn it, had the Academy found out already?

“Jig’s up!” Liz yelled as the whole corridor soon descended into chaos.

“Kim!” The Witch picked up Jackie’s voice within the pandemonium. “You’re not getting through to her!”

Fire engulfed the front of her cell, probably a result of Jackie’s Weapon form. That would buy them some seconds, hopefully enough so that Kim could add the final touches to her magic circle.

Cursing under her breath, the Witch grabbed an already bloody stone and ran it across her forearm, slicing the skin along it. She barely had time to register the pain as her panic and fear propelled her to the rear wall, where she kept adding to the design, frantically painting over any details needed to complete it.

There were sounds of scuffle behind them and after a while, the heat that came from Jackie’s flame died off. People were yelling from all sides and it did little to help Kim’s concentration, especially when she heard the cell’s bar slowly open and the sounds of footsteps coming their way.

Kim frantically added any major missing details, just in time before she was grabbed and dragged away from the wall. Thick leather binds wrapped around her frame and she realised it was now or never. Her design was incomplete so the spell would be botchy, but the alternative was her burning at the stake.

“Soul Protect off!” She yelled just before someone tried to out another leather band at her mouth. The power of her now unrestrained Soul Wavelength pushed her assailants off, giving her the precious seconds needed to complete her spell.

Her next words left her mouth in an instinctive fashion. Like in every other Witch, Kim’s first words was the chant that activated her powers. The magic circle lit up a bright red, before it spread across the rest of the stone structure, extending to almost all cells within a fraction of her second.

The light intensified in volume and Kim’s world was engulfed in red accompanied of the cacophony of rocks collapsing on one another.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AMERICA WHAT THE FUCK
> 
> THIS ISN’T OK, FIRST BREXIT NOW THIS ORANGE-COLOURED BULLSHIT
> 
> I WANT OFF 2016’S WILD RIDE


	18. A Hasty Rescue Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!

Kid wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. One moment he was nervously attending a meeting with the Academy’s major players and then the ground shook, Theodore hastily stood up and yelling ensued. As for the rest, George sat back, not bothered by whatever was happening, a sentiment shared with Misery. Auntie frowned and stood up but did not move, while Tezca looked among the Council members. The man’s gaze briefly fell on Kid, but the boy was preoccupied with watching Theodore as he opened the door and began half-yelling at the people outside -guards most probably.

“Is this an attack?” Tezca asked Joe, who had stayed silent and had only closed his eyes.

The blonde shook his head. “We don’t have any intel on an upcoming attack…” he paused and looked downwards, his gaze unfocused.

“Joe?” Auntie asked.

“Something’s going on in the dungeons,” the man said as he stood up.

Upon hearing Joe’s words, Kid focused in his own Soul Perception and looked downwards.

The souls below them were scurrying like ants throughout the Academy. They were all blue, large and small. The only exception was a medium purple soul -Kim’s- in the deeper parts of the Academy, surrounded by many blue souls -Maka and the others. They we removing wildly, which should not be the case if they were still jailed.

This was a breakout.

Kid found himself standing up and heading outside. Joe had done the same, already walking up and talking to Theodore outside. There were many more people gathered there, which Kid guessed where guards who had felt the disturbance and came up to check on them.

“What are you all doing gathered here?!” Theodore was yelling at a young man wielding a spear. Joe was next to him, talking to a few others.

When Kid was out of sight of the Council members, he began calmly power-walking his way through the crowd. This was rather easy, since most of the people’s attention was focused on the two Council members. Plus, Kid was small-framed so going by unnoticed was no hard feat.

When he was sure no eyes were on him, Kid began running. He used his Soul Perception to avoid being seen, running to hallways with unknown ends. All that he cared for was going down, towards the souls who were still scrambling in the dungeons. Kim’s soul, the only one he could identify clearly because of its now prominent purple colour, -another warning sign- didn’t seem to be moving.

He had made it all the way to the entrance to the dungeons before he had to stop. A crowd had gathered, composed of students and staff. They were all gathered up right in front of the staircase, which acted as a bottleneck to going in and out of the lower levels of the Academy.

Kid had stayed behind a corner, frequently checking his surroundings with his Soul Perception in case anyone from the group headed towards him. His frown deepened as they didn’t seem keen to move away from the spot. The boy would curse, but that may attract attention to where he was. Instead, he looked down, where his friends were.

The purple soul still hadn’t moved from its initial position. Kid was beginning to worry for Kim. She must be immobilised and the mystery behind why filled him with dread. Though Kim wasn’t reckless, being a Witch jailed by the Academy must have put her under a lot of stress. Not to mention Joe exposing her, though this had happened only a few short while ago and Kim probably hadn’t known that… or so Kid thought.

Enough theorising, he had to do _something_. Kid saw blue souls clashing with each other, frantically moving between one another a small distance away from them. They moved in groups of two and two of these groups must have been Maka with Soul and the sisters.

Kid was debating whether just running through the group and pushing through without being identified.  That could be achievable when he noticed a soul from behind him coming his way. It was blue and a bit large. Kid felt he knew the person to which the soul belonged to, but that was no longer a reassuring concept.

His desire to curse being renewed, Kid scanned his surroundings in case there was any place he could hide to. No such luck.

The boy bit his lip in annoyance as he clutched his dagger. He couldn’t risk being recognised; if he was, he’d have to deal with the ugly and potentially fatal fallout. Theodore had probably already noticed his absence and freaked out, and Kid hadn’t come up with any plausible excuse on why he was down there. Not to mention, the boy was determined in saving his friends, whatever it took.

The soul was about to make it around the corner, to the hallway where Kid was, and the boy crouched low in case he had to leap and take chase.

A tanned blonde man appeared, looking briefly relieved. “There you are,” Joe sighed, before he took notice of Kid’s hostile stance. “Uh…?”

Kid was momentarily stunned, before Joe’s extended silence caused to refocus and shake off some of the adrenaline. He forced himself to calm down. He couldn’t recognise souls very well yet, and he had more than adequate reason to be jumpy.

“What are you doing here?” Joe asked, seemingly resigned over never getting an answer about what just happened.

“We need to get down there,” Kid hastily said. “But the way is blocked-”

“What-?!” Joe began in shook, “you’ll be seen, why-?”

“Maka and the others caused this- they’re trying to escape!” Kid hissed, not wanting to be heard by the people around on the other side. “I have to help them-”

“Wait, wait, hold on!” Joe frantically said, slowly trying to make his way between Kid and the corner. “You can’t head down there, your cover will get blown!”

“I have to. They’re trying to escape, I can’t let them fail, Theodore will-” Kid gulped and cut himself off. He took a small breath before meeting Joe’s gaze. “If I blow my cover, so be it.”

“Wait, wait-!” Joe stepped in front of Kid. When the boy tried to slip past him the man let out a long-suffering sigh and almost picked him up from the hem of the cloak, to much protest. “Listen.”

“There’s no time-!”

“There may be something we can do, but we have to be careful and you have to _listen_ to me.” The words caused Kid to stop trying to slip by the man. Joe slowly let the kid out of his grasp, hoping the young Grim Reaper wouldn’t suddenly dart out there. He never thought he’d have to treat Death like a moody and worried teenager. “I thought you may be up to something when I saw you went missing from the meeting -Theodore isn’t happy about that by the way- and saw you heading for the dungeon’s entrance.”

“I’m all ears,” Kid said half-heartedly, his gaze looking to where his friends’ souls were.

“Hold on,” Joe opened the small pouch attached to his belt, taking out two garments. “I had to stop by my room to get us the stuff we need.” He handed the two clothing items to an increasingly confused Kid. “Wear this.”

The boy looked over the objects. They were a beanie cap and T-shirt too large for Kid.

“Sorry for the T-shirt size, I’m a big man,” Joe said.

Kid looked at the clothes, then at Joe, and blinked.

“It’s to hide the uh… lines.” Kid’s frown turned to an annoyed scowl. “They’re noticeable…” Joe continued, raising an eyebrow over the Grim Reaper’s reaction. He wasn’t aware Kid didn’t like the lines. Probably because they reminded him of the Ritual. “Plus, I can’t have you wearing a black cloak.”

Kid stepped back to change while Joe looked over to where the people were.

“Ok so, I’ll claim I’m moving in with a team and you’ll come with me,” the man said. “We should be able to go past those people and reach the point where they’re held off.” Joe diverted his gaze and looked towards the floor. “I can see there’s a group there who’s holding them off. The kids are holding on their own, but the Academy’s got too many members down there.” He looked back to see Kid had just finished putting on the T-shirt and was about to wear the beanie. “I will make a big show about taking command and devising the plan. This should distract people enough for you to slip away unnoticed.”

“That still leaves the problem of how we get them out,” Kid said. “Unless your plan involves me beating everyone in the Academy, in which case there is little point in a half-hearted disguise.”

“There’s… another way out of the dungeons.” Joe frowned, but kept talking. “I’m not supposed to talk about this, since it’s supposed to be used only in cases of emergency, but it’s the only solution I can think of.” The man scratched his neck and looked away. “It’s at the lowest levels of the Academy, an old plumbing structure…”

“You mean it’s at the Altar,” Kid stated, his voice even.

“Yeah…”

The boy shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “We don’t have a choice.”

Joe gave the Grim Reaper a brief silent look before he continued. “Here,” the man took a third object out of his pouch, a sheet of paper with a hastily made map on it. “It’s not very good, but it should be enough to guide them out of the Academy. You could then hide for a bit, or meet up with me and we can head upstairs and come up with an excuse. When it comes to your friends after they escape though… I got nothing.”

“We’ll figure out something,” Kid relied, pocketing the map. He adjusted his beanie, frowning at how it felt against his head.

“Ok,” the man said, mentally going over the plan again and again. “We good?”

“’One more thing,” the Grim Reaper said, this time in a concerned tone. “If they escape when you take charge…”

The man let out a casual shrug. “I said I’ll help you. And the others. I’ve made my decision.”

Kid glanced at Joe’s unreadable expression before diverting his gaze at the gathered crowd. “…Thank you.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Their plan had gone along well. Suspiciously well that is. Kid was expecting someone to loudly ask ‘aren’t you the Grim Reaper?’ the moment they stepped out and into the crowd.

Thankfully, it hadn’t. It was one of the few times the boy had been thankful for his stature -or lack thereof- which allowed him to go by unnoticed. Kid wondered if the characteristic was incidental, or part of being a Grim Reaper, since there were stories of Death sneaking up to mortals.

Whatever the case, Joe had gained access to the dungeons, and walked up to where a group of recuperating Meisters were situated. Some had their Weapons raised and quite a few sported cuts and bruises.

Joe glanced at Kid who nodded and retreated to an area where light was sparse.

“We have to go again,” one of the people in the group said, a lanky woman wielding a knife.

“Are you serious?” one of the guys in the group said. “One of these girl almost cut my head off last time-”

“Goddamnit, a group of kids is giving us a hard time,” the elder man of the group said, who was sporting a handlebar moustache.

“ _Kids_?” the guy from before uttered in exasperation. “One of them is from the Star Clan and his Weapon is the apprentice to the freaking Nakatsukasa clan! The blonde girl’s wielding a scythe like if they were a Deathscythe and the other two girls are like a switcheroo-goddamn-devil!” He put his hands on his hips as he looked at a turning point which lead deeper to the dungeons. “And were not exactly elite units.”

“Don’t _we_ have a Deathscythe?” the woman began.

“Three of them are also held in the dungeons, the other’s in a meeting and the rest are at least a continent away,” the older man said in resignation. “If the kids get to them, we’re done for.”

Meanwhile, Joe had walked up to them, feigning surprise and confusion. “What’s going on?”

The next few moments consisted of people talking each other and general disorder. Kid managed to inch closer without being seen. All he needed now was Joe making sure they wouldn’t look his way. This hallway was wide, and full of opening, so if he managed to lure them on one side and in a semicircle, Kid should be able to cross with minimal risk.

“I can get their location again by Soul Perception,” the woman began, and Kid debated against running off at that very moment. The boy was acutely aware that his soul had become… distinct, for lack of a better term.

“Ah, no need,” Joe quickly reassured her, effectively cutting the woman off. “I’ll do it, that way you won’t lose focus if anyone attacks, since you have a Weapon and all,” the man said in a casual manner while he walked towards one of the walls, opposite to the one where Kid was half-crouched. “Now if anyone can gather up, I have a plan…”

As Joe stood against the wall on the side of the hallway, people gathered around hum, turning their backs at the other walls. The blonde man began to talk rather loudly, which masked any slight noise Kid made as he traversed his way past them. He quickened his pace when he found himself in the light, dashing into the darkness whenever he could.

When Kid had left the group and moved further inwards, he made a small stop to look back, while removing his beanie. The Academy members were still gathered up, and if Joe dragged his explanation out, that would buy them a few precious minutes.

It wasn’t just that though. The older guy had mentioned that the other Deathscythes were kept there as well. If Kid met up with Maka and the rest and their group successfully made it all the way where the adults were held… they could all fight their way out, and Kid wouldn’t have to break his cover. Still, he’d have to figure out a way to approach them and get them out in the first place.

Even though Kid knew there was no one else awaiting him beyond the dark tunnel, the teen still moved with hesitation. He could see his friends’ souls in the distance and that he was approaching them. He moved at a steady pace, not wanting to jump in and surprise them.

As Kid moved closer, he started hearing their voices echo off the stone walls.

“-have to make our move,” came a mumbling male voice. Kid vaguely recognized being Soul’s, Maka’s Weapon partner.

“Can’t, they’re too many.” Kid recognized the drawl as coming from Liz. “We barely held them off last time.”

“And it’s not like we can leave…” came Maka’s voice, thoughtful but distracted.

“Speaking of which, the Academy would usually have attacked us again by now.” This one was a new voice, one Kid didn’t recognize. It was female and with a hint of timidness in it.

“THAT’S BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CAN’T WIN AGAINST US!” Another voice Kid didn’t recognize.

“You’re right, Tsubaki,” Maka answered. “They’d have sent someone at this point.”

“Unless they’re planning something,” came Liz’s low grumble.

In the ensuing silence, Kid continued making his way towards them. From around the corner, a torch formed familiar shadows of the gathered teens.

“Oh, are you doing that weird soul-viewing thingy~?” came Patty’s bubbly voice, which had a metallic echo to it.

When Kid first heard that, his worry instinctively subsided. After all, he and Maka had known each other for many years, basically growing up together. The girl knew Kid’s soul and vice versa, so she’d recognize him in a distance.

It was a few seconds later, after Kid had made his way around the corner into a group pf shocked familiar and unknown faces, that Kid had realized his soul had undergone some radical changes, rendering it almost unrecognizable from what it previously appeared like.

The two groups -or more accurately one group and one individual- started at each other for about a second.

Maka’s hold on Soul faltered, her hands slightly trembling. “That’s…”

Kid, who had just realised that he was facing a similar scenario with the adults, gulped down any lingering hesitation he had. Time to make his move.

Trying to keep his expression neutral but not cold, the Grim Reaper took a hesitant step forward. “Maka-” he began, hoping the girl would be the first one to recognise that he was still Kid.

This didn’t work.

Kid barely dodged the scythe’s sharp blade, only for him to get punched to the face shortly after.

Of all things he had missed about Maka, her mean right hook wasn’t one of them.

After he stopped seeing stars in his vision, Kid had little time to react at the albino boy’s scythe form coming down at him. The Grim Reaper rolled out of the way, just in time to avoid the sharp blade, gaining some distance between him and the rest. Even then, Kid had Liz and Patty to worry about. The duo wasted on no time and took aim of the Reaper, who dodged most, but not all their bullets.

“Things are going _great_ ,” Kid muttered to himself, seeing all the glares going his way. His mind was reeling with ways of trying to convince them that he was still Kid, not a malevolent Death God who decided to use his body as a meat suit.

Well, that last part was partially false. Kid _was_ said Death God, only less malevolent and more flat-out confused.

The next few moments consisted of the three groups of Meisters and Weapons, coming at him relentlessly. Kid avoided most of their attacks, being very careful in avoiding the sharp blades -they sent small chills down his spine and made the skin at his neck and chest itch.

Whatever false start Kid made was quickly supressed by a barrage of furious remarks which made it abundantly clear that the teens wanted revenge for their friend’s perceived untimely demise. This was heart-warming for Kid to hear, but it would be even better if they would just _stop_ trying to kill him. Unfortunately for both parties, the group of teens seemed very determined to extract revenge and their willingness to listen was lacking.

Saying the situation was not good was an understatement.

A chain wrapped itself around Kid’s throat and the boy choked as his air supply was cut short.

“We got them, Black*Star!” came the unknown female voice from the Weapon.

The blue-haired boy let out a boisterous laugh. “BOW DOWN BEFORE YOUR CONQUEROR, DEATH-!”

The assassin’s boast was cut short when Kid kicked him in the crotch, eliciting a painful gasp as the chain was eased from his throat.

"Now that's just fighting dirty, you bastard..." The blue-haired boy groaned, barely holding himself from doubling-over.

Kid didn’t respond, still reeling from the attack. The boy backed away to a wall, coughing up as his airways were freed. To his annoyance, he hadn’t made any progress with them and only ended up with more bruises. He never though he’d miss polite conversation so much.

Damn subtlety, Kid would have to be as frank as possible as quickly as possible.

Rolling out of the way of another attack, the boy barely had any time to talk before the blunt end of a scythe caught him on the foot and sent him tumbling down on the floor. “Stop attacking you idiots- I _am_ Kid-!”

Unfazed by the Grim Reaper’s remarks, Liz came within point-blank shooting distance and brought Patty down on the Reaper's head.

"Elizabeth and Patricia,” Kid quickly said with overflowing indignation, “if you shoot me again I swear I will punch you."

The sister paused. The dry delivery of the line was so dry and familiar to Liz's tastes that the girl stopped mid-attack.

Next to her Maka seemed to have the same thought, freezing in place while holding Soul up for an upcoming attack. "What...?"

Liz’s shock was quickly hidden by a furious scowl. “ _This is a low trick-_ ”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Kid cut her off, making sure to make eye contact with every individual on the group, hoping that would at least earn him a few precious seconds. “Because the best tactic the God of Death could use on a bunch of teenagers is walk on you unarmed and pretend what happened a while ago was just a very fancy lightshow.”

This gave pause to everyone, who stopped their assault from sheer confusion and allowed kid to regain some of his bearings.

“…He’s not wrong…” Soul eventually muttered after a few seconds of surprised silence.

Maka seemed to come alive at Soul’s remark, blinking several times as if she was seeing things. “ _K-Kid_ …?”

“That’s me,” the boy said, grunting as he slowly brought himself up. “And if you want me to retell some of our past adventures as some sort of proof, let me remind you that time is running out and that a significant part of it can be used as blackmail material.”

This only resulted in Maka going completely mute.

“Holy shit,” this, unsurprisingly, came from Liz who then went uncharacteristically silent.

Kid brought his hand to his lips. “Ow, this still hurts.” He removed his hand to see the small fleck of blood. “And now I’m bleeding. Again. Honestly, why even heal when it’s just going to-”

Maka opened her mouth several times in confusion, until she settled for some very shocked ramblings. “I-We thought you were -I was angry-”

“I noticed.” Kid brought a hand again only to hiss when he touched the offending area. “Please tell me it’s not bleeding much.”

“Uh…” Soul began. “There’s just is small trail…”

Just when Kid nodded out of politeness and allowed himself to relax, aloud voice came from behind them all.

“Rule Number 3!” Kid turned around to see the blue-haired child lunge at him with all the subtlety of a rampaging rhinoceros. “ _Strike your target before he notices you!”_

“Wait-!” Maka began, but her cry was in vain.

Kid tried to run away but the chain wrapped around one of his legs, tripping him. Kid felt his soul flair in renewed annoyance and for a brief moment, the chain’s hold loosened with a soft feminine gasp, allowing Kid to disentangle his legs just in time to avoid another attack.

One of the sharp ends of the chain embedded itself into the solid rock floor in between Kid’s knees. The Grim Reaper gave a surprised look at the blade before looking up to the assassin, this time in worry.

The Grim Reaper stood up and backed away, not wanting to fight the unknown boy. The other end of the chain was still free, and the assassin threw it at Kid, who did not have any room to escape.

Just then Maka stepped in front of him, deflecting the sharp blade and letting the chain wrap itself around her scythe’s shaft. “Black*Star, Tsubaki, stop -He’s not our enemy!”

“Eh?!” Black*Star asked in genuine confusion.

“But I felt…” Tsubaki began, but fell silent when she saw Maka’s determined glare.

“Who are they?” Kid asked, partially shocked, but mostly lost.

Maka, once sure the ninja duo wasn’t going to try and impale Kid any time soon, lowered Soul and turned back to Kid with a sheepish expression. “Uh, long story, but they helped us out with Crona and stuck along afterwards.”

Kid scowled. “First of all, what the hell is up with his hair?” he began, momentarily distracted. “I haven’t seen such an awful asymmetrical contraption and I lived in New York-”

“OI, MY HAIR REPRESENTS WHAT A BIG STAR I AM-!”

“ _You just can’t fucking die, can you_?” Liz’s scathing tone cut through their arguments like a hot knife through butter. Kid had the decency to look mildly worried, as Liz gave him a look reserved for reckless stuntmen. “First there was the witch’s brat, then there was the assassination attempt, and now you survive being a fucking sacrifice to the fucking God of Death, just how the fuck-?!”

“Assassination?” Tsubaki asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Maka nodded grimly. “But Kim said she saw him come back…”

Liz turned to the blonde. “How has this squirt not caused you to die of a heart attack yet?”

“Hey,” Kid protested.

Maka looked away guiltily. “Usually I’m the one that got us in trouble...”

Liz rolled her eyes, while Patty transformed to her human form, her expression unreadable. “Figures. He’d have to get that attitude from somewhere, I just hope the bad luck isn’t common…” Gritting her teeth, Liz scowl scanned over the group until it fell on Kid. “So…”

“Um…” the boy began, breaking eye contact. “There’s actually an explanation about this, no matter how bizarre it may sound.”

“It better be. Something in this world’s gotta make sense.” With hands on her hips, Liz briefly glanced at Patty, who still had that blank look to her face, before addressing Kid. “So did the ritual not work, or…?”

“It… kind of did, I guess.” Upon seeing everyone’s worried looks, Kid brought his hands up in a pacifying gesture. “But, there was a _slight_ complication…”

Liz tilted her head and gave him a squinted look. “What is it? With all we’ve been through, I bet you five bucks this can’t be the craziest thing we hear-”

“I am the Grim Reaper,” Kid immediately said, opting for the ‘pulling teeth’ strategy.

You could hear a pin drop.

Maka’s mind reeled in shock. It was like trying to fit a cube through a round hole.

In honestly, the girl had little info to go on about the Grim Reaper. All she knew came from overheard gossip among the places she grew up, and the occasional book she managed to acquire through dubious means. Her parent and the other adults had remained tight-lipped whenever the girl asked them about it. Maka hadn’t mentioned that to Kid, not wanting to bother her friend with such a morbid topic, but the girl couldn’t help but be curious. In the end, the only things she had figured out was that Death was not one to be trifled with. Like deities of old, they were hailed as powerful, and terrifying being. Though they acted in humanity’s behalf in ridding the world of soul eaters, undeserved cruelty was not uncommon.

Kid, however, came in sharp contrast with that. He was unlike anything she had imagined Death would be. He was her best friend, an individual she would trust her life with. She remembered when both were young and Kid was even lankier. The boy had initially been quiet, but slowly warmed up to Maka's boisterous nature. He was clumsy, quiet and generally closed off. The clumsiness and quietness part had subsided over the last few years, giving way to a sardonic sense of humour and bouts of anxiety, but at his core Kid always was a kind, sympathetic individual.

Trying to connect these two beings together was like trying to mix oil and water.

Then again… the reason their world was in such a bad state was because the Kishin had won in their Battle with Death. The implication of that meant that Death was somehow better than the Kishin -not that such a thing was hard to achieve- therefore not such a bad individual. So, even if it was a far-fetched idea, could it be that Death simply had a case of bad reputation?

Did Kid know? Was he hiding it all this time? Whatever the case, Kid didn’t look particularly pleased when he came out with the fact that he was the Grim Reaper. There were definitely things going on behind the scenes.

While Maka stood half frozen in thought, one of the sisters had decided to vocalise her shock after she transformed into her human form.

“You,” Patty began, to everyone’s surprise, after a solid minute of silence. “Are the Grim Reaper?”

Kid flinched away from the younger sister’s even gaze and gave her a small nod.

Patty blinked. Then she smirked, her shoulders hunching from suppressed laugher. Said laughter came out shortly after, as if a dam had just broken.

“What’s so funny…?”

“Sowy, but~” Patty began, but was interrupted by her own cackles.

Kid haughtily crossed his arms. “I don’t how that would make you laugh.”

Liz let her own small laugh as well. “What Patty’s trying to say, I think, is that you’re a squirt.”

Kid opened his mouth to protest, but his argument never took off since he saw Maka try to hide her laughter as well. “Maka!”

“Sorry,” the girl said between giggles. “But they have a point.”

At this point the assassin loudly huffed and butted in the conversation. “Yeah, you don’t even look that tough, I bet I can take you out with one arm tied behind my back!”

“We don’t even know each other!” Kid yelled back in indignation. He glanced at the other two individuals in the room. Soul gave him a lost look. The other girl, Tsubaki if Kid remembered correctly, flinched when their eyes met but kept her gaze steady.

“I’M BLACK*STAR! YOU’D BETTER KNOW THAT NAME SOON BECAUSE I’M THE ONE WHO’S GONNA TAKE YOU DOWN, DEATH!”

“I- _what_?!” the Grim Reaper’s body language which roughly translated as ‘who’s this clown?’

As Kid and Black*Star continued squabbling, Maka continued her previous line of thought.

Had... had she grown up with a Grim Reaper as a best friend? Did it matter if Kid was a Grim Reaper in the first place?

At that exact moment the boy sneezed and scowled in confusion, as if that sneeze had personally offended him.

_No_ , Maka firmly decided when she saw the familiar expressions. It shouldn’t matter. Kid was still Kid, Grim Reaper compilation or not.

Though they now had so many things to talk about. Not all of them pleasant, but they’d pull through.

 “…Fuck,” was what Liz eventually said when she finally settled down. More expletives followed soon after.

“Liz? Are you finally running your repertoire dry?” Kid repeated after the eighth cuss. He had a rough idea at how much it took for someone to wrap around their idea that he was Death. To be honest, Kid was still working out the kinks.

“Me slapping you for all the trouble you put us through just upgraded to outright murdering you,” Liz said, though they both knew Liz didn’t mean it. He had noticed Liz’s unusual way of phrasing her frustrations.

“Get in line. A queue is starting to form.”

“Wait, so let me get this straight, ‘cause the whole thing’s confusing,” Soul began, as he transformed back into human from. “So what happened is that people tried to reviving the Grim Reaper… by sacrificing the Grim Reaper?” Soul slowly asked.

Kid tried to be nonchalant about this by shrugging. He failed, and it appeared as if Kid tried to swat away a bad memory. “Yes, though unknowingly.”

“Which is you.”

Kid crossed his arms and nodded. “Yeah…”

Liz threw her hands in the air. “That’s it, I give up. You can’t make this shit up, folks.” The teen let out a long suffering groan, as she ran her hand through her hair. “Patty and I help one guy one time, and he turns out to be the fucking of God of Death.” She looked back to Kid who gave her a blank look. “And now I owe said God of Death five bucks, just what is my life-”

As Liz continued her incredulous rant, the atmosphere slowly lightened up. Patty continued giggling, looking between her sister and Kid. Soul looked around awkwardly, scratching his neck, while Black*Star crossed his arms and pouted in disappointment. Tsubaki gave her Meister a pacifying smile, though her gaze darted to the Grim Reaper and her expression became a bit more guarded.

Maka felt herself loosen up somewhat as well. She quickly scanned the area with her Soul Perception to see that the Academy staff were still gathered up in a bunch further away from them, this time with an extra soul added to them.

She couldn’t help herself but look at Kid’s direction, where the boy was watching Liz with a relieved smirk.

It was large… and yellow. Maka couldn’t make much of it besides that, though when she focused, she saw three lines stretching halfway around his soul, in a similar pattern as his hair. That was strange. She hadn’t see anything like that before.

At this point, Patty said something Maka didn’t quite catch and lunged at Kid, squishing him in a rib-crushing hug.

On a level Maka was ecstatic. She had just found out her best friend was alive and well. What good friend wouldn’t be happy about that?

Yet, her memories persisted. Even if Kid was up and playing along with them, she still remembered how pale and weak he looked on the altar, how scared he was when the knife made its way in his chest…

Remembering these events, the jokes now felt… superficial.

Kid, now no longer being crushed by Patty, briefly locked eyes with Maka. The boy gave her a small smile, though the girl knew best. It was a strained smile, one you gave to hide the fact that you were hurting, mentally or physically.

Maka clenched her fists and walked towards Kid. A stream of emotions threatened to overtake her, from relief and happiness to sorrow and regret.

With no warning, Maka enveloped Kid in a tight hug, holding him close as if he could disappear into thin air.

"I'm sorry,” was all he managed to say before her voice cracked.

Kid shifted in their embrace. "Maka?"

The young girl sniffed. Her hands traced on Kid's back where Crona's sword had sliced though and then moved upwards, where the Head Priest had stabbed him with a dagger. "You've been hurt so much and each time I couldn’t protect you," the girl confessed, sniffing loudly. "I've been a terrible friend." Her eyes were getting puffy and her vision was getting blurrier by the second.

"…It's ok," Kid replied, patting her back. "Crona was impossible to damage and Theodore had the backing of the Academy." The boy gave her a wry smile. "Our opponents were a _tad_ out of our league," he said with some humour.

"Says the Grim reaper,” Liz muttered from the sidelines.

"Well then, maybe we are a bit out of shape," the boy confessed with mock flinch.

Maka gave him a bitter laugh. "I can’t just leave you. What if they try and hurt you again?"

"They can’t hurt me. At least not publicly. As long as I don’t do anything radical, I'll be fine."

"How long are you going to keep this up?"

"As long as necessary. I..." Kid hesitated, his face briefly adopting a grimace like someone was screaming into the boy's ear, "can’t quite explain this fully, but I have to make sure Theodore doesn’t do any more damage and the Academy starts doing what it's supposed to do."

"That's risky."

Kid simply raised an eyebrow at the blond girl. "Do I even need to bring up the pot and kettle metaphor...?"

Maka scowled. "No, I get what you mean, but... What if they find you out?"

"Hopefully that will happen when I have gathered some support for myself."

"You may still end up getting hurt."

"Perhaps." Kid clicked his tongue. "That's a risk I’m willing to take. Besides, though you may have already noticed, I heal quite fast."

"But you still feel pain, right?"

Kid looked away, biting his lip. His hand subconsciously reached up for his chest, but eased when Kid became aware of its action"...Yes. Unfortunately," he muttered the last part with disappointment.

"Then... I'll try my best this doesn’t happen again. No one is gonna hurt you if I can help it! I don’t care if it takes me 24-hour training, Soul and I will become a top Meister and Weapon pair, right Soul?!" Maka said with determination, turning to the albino for confirmation.

"Uh... I feel like I’m interrupting something," the boy muttered awkwardly as he scratched his head and looked away.

"Nonsense, Maka is just being unnecessarily dramatic as always," Kid casually replied, earning him a light punch on the shoulder by Maka.

"Hey, I’m being serious here."

"Of course, Miss No-One-Is-Gonna-Hurt-You. Should I expect a white horse to come for me like I'm a damsel in distress, or will we employ more convenient means of transportation?"

"Gah!" Maka groaned in exasperation and embarrassment. "Is this what I get for wanting to keep a friend out of harm's way?"

Kid gave her a small laugh, a genuine one this time. "Sorry, I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Maka’s expression shifted into a mock pout.

Kid’s smile briefly widened at her reaction. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually he hugged Maka back.

"Thank you..." his voice was soft and quiet, and Maka could detect the tiniest of wavers, "for believing in me."

Maka felt a genuine smile come to her face. “That’s what friends are for, silly.”

They disengaged from the hug and Kid’s gaze wandered over Maka’s face until it stopped at a particular spot. Kid let out a small grimace and Maka frowned in confusion.

"One second…" Kid’s hands reached up to her face. Maka’s frown deepened until she felt the two hands touching each of her pigtails and adjusting it, in which case her worried frown turned to one of exasperation.

"Seriously, Kid?"

"Perfectly symmetrical!" The boy exclaimed with newfound enthusiasm. Maka allowed herself a small smile. It was a bit more vivid than usual, but kind of expected behaviour from Kid. He had never bothered with her pigtails before, though. In addition, maybe it was her imagination, but Kid seemed to be jumpier than usual…

Oh, well. The whole situation was strange. Besides, they had to get out of here first. They could talk later.


	19. Hints Of Caring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, remember when I claimed that updates would be biweekly?  
> Those were better times :’)

“So, now that we got all the reunion stuff sorted with,” Liz said, “do we have any idea on how we get out of here?” She turned to look at Kid. “Do you have a plan?”

“Roughly,” Kid responded, looking back on the way he came. “You can’t escape that way, it’s crawling with Academy members.”

“We noticed,” the elder Thompson dryly said.

“So, how do we escape then?” Soul asked. “Because if we can’t use the exit, all that’s left is digging our way out.”

“Thankfully, there is more than one exit from the dungeons.”

“How do you know that?”

Kid waved his hand dismissively. “Long story, I had help.” Taking the note Joe had given them, Kid handed it to Maka and the rest. “It’s a very rough layout, but it should help guide you.”

Liz raised an eyebrow as she looked over the diagram. “That’s doesn’t look right.  We’ll be heading further down, how the hell is there supposed to be an exit there?”

“I think it’s not so much of an exit than an underground river…” Kid began, thinking back to the altar and the water surrounding it.

“So we can follow it until it reaches the surface…” Soul said, looking over the plan. “With any luck, we can get out of the city.”

“We’ll need a ride for that,” Liz spoke up. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t know how to hijack a car, and you don’t look like you do either.”

Kid glanced at Maka. The blonde girl felt heat rising to her cheeks. “Well…”

Liz gave the girl a disbelieving look. “Wait, don’t tell me…”

“You know how to steal cars?!” Soul asked in shock.

“No, I don’t know how to steal them, I just know how to jumpstart them!”

“That’s basically stealing!”

“No, it’s not!”

“How do you know that in the first place?” Liz asked, hands on her hips.

“Long story short, about a year ago we had stolen a bunch of sweets, and gave some to a guy in exchange for telling us how to get back home,” Kid explained, much to Maka’s protests. “His instructions were very thorough.”

 “We can’t leave yet!” Tsubaki protested. “We can’t let the others behind!”

“Others?”

Liz scoffed. “She means the Witch and her lackey.”

“Kim and Jackie?” At Liz’s nod, Kid frowned in worry. “What happened?”

“Kim got trapped while getting us out.” It might have been a figment of Kid’s imagination, but Liz’s scowl was missing its usual hostility.

The Grim Reaper frowned, taking notice of the presence of soot on Maka’s sweater, and small bruises on Soul’s forearm. He had thought those were from fighting the Academy staff, but now that Kid thought about it…

“How _did_ you escape?”

“The Witch used a spell,” Liz began.

“Everything went boom~!” Patty interjected.

“That sounds… dangerous.”

“I don’t think it was supposed to act like a stock of dynamite had gone off,” Liz said. “Kim had drawn a magic circle which should have caused our cells to open -kinda like overloading a circuit- but was interrupted. I’m guessing the Academy somehow figured out she was a Witch.” At this, Kid allowed himself a slight grimace. He should have acted the moment Joe admitted he identified Kim’s soul as that of a Witch’s, but there was the meeting council…

“Anyways,” Liz continued, “they tried to rush her and she activated it when it wasn’t ready.”

“That must have been when the Academy shook…” the Grim Reaper mumbled.

“Guess so. She almost got crushed by the boulder,” Liz continued. “She’s buried lots of rubble, and all we can go with is her voice. Her Partner’s not doing any better; she got hit during the blast and went out like a candle.”

“Thankfully, Jackie’s wound isn’t too bad, and her soul doesn’t look like it’s… you know,” Maka said, her gaze unfocused, and Kid recognised it as the girl using her Soul Perception.

“It’s why we’re holed up here,” Tsubaki slowly spoke up, suppressing a gulp when all eyes were on her. “We could have escaped from the front entrance as soon as her spell went off, but we couldn’t leave them. Until now, we were holding out for Jackie to wake up so we could have someone help Kim.” She looked down on her lap, her fists clenched. “However, we also have to keep the Academy staff at bay, and they’re so many...”

Kid nodded at the information. “Maybe I can help? I’ll do my best digging Kim out while you keep the Academy staff at bay.”

“Then when you get to Kim, we can carry Jackie to safety and create a distraction for you two to go through the dungeons undetected,” Maka added, allowing herself a small smile.

Kid reciprocated the gesture. “Sounds like a plan.”

The two looked to Liz, Patty and Soul, who nodded at them. Tsubaki gave the duo a hesitant nod before turning to the blue-haired boy who looked as if a scowl had been permanently stitched to his face.

“Black*Star…?”

“All this planning is boring! Let’s go already!” The boy crossed his arms, his scowl melting into a pout. “ _And I didn’t even get to beat the Reaper’s ass…_ ”

Kid narrowed his eyes at the young assassin. “What was that-?”

“Oi, we’ll see you at the exit, ok?” Liz said, giving the Grim Reaper a slight poke. “Don’t do anything stupid and get yourself in more trouble.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A few minutes later, Liz, Kid and Patty retraced the steps to where the cells were. As they walked across the increasing rubble, Kid saw a bunch of guards had been crushed by the debris, heavily injured, but alive.

Eventually, they reached a part where the rock had caved in, abandoned empty cells with crashed bars flanking its sides. This must have been the central point of the cave-in, where Kim was trapped. A quick scan with his Soul Perception revealed that this was the case since he sensed a purple soul behind a large pile of boulders. On the side lay Kim’s Weapon Partner, Jackeline. A thin trail of blood ran down her temple, but the girl’s breaths were steady, as if she was sleeping.

Liz picked up the unconscious girl and hoisted her on her shoulder, while Patty transformed into her Weapon form, which Liz caught. The older Thompson exchanged a final look with Kid, one carrying less of a ‘good luck’ sentiment and more along the lines ‘you better make it out of this safe and sound you reckless bastard’, before jogging back where the others were.

Kid reached the pile and began digging. He removed the bigger rocks from the bottom, causing the particularly large boulder to destabilize. All it took was a solid push that made it feel like his muscles were about to be ripped apart and the large rock gave way, revealing a set of broken and twisted metal bars. Behind those bars, groaning and cursing and very much alive, stood Kim Diehl, her body bloody but her soul a vibrant purple.

Upon hearing the large boulders move and seeing a faint glimmer of light coming from the few torches that weren’t completely ruined, Kim looked up in a daze, making out a shadowy figure moving away from the rocks.

“Who…?”

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, her body slowly coming alive and no longer glowing a faint green, and Kim could finally make out who was it that created an exit to her would-be grave.

Green-blue eyes met golden ones and Kim instinctively allowed herself a small sigh of relief at the familiar face.

Kid, for all his weirdness and mutual dislike, wasn’t a murderer, like many of those in the Academy, who worshipped Death. He wasn’t a soul eater, like those sisters and their terrifying smiles. He didn’t seem to hate all Witches, which was an anomaly to Kim -her kindred’s reputation couldn’t get any lower even if it dug below the Marianna Trench. Kid was just some teen way over his head, like Kim was when she was younger and alone, when her mother had left and had never come back, the older Witch ordered to take part in some forgotten battle by ‘bigger fish’ than the Diehls could ever hope to be.

Then she remembered how she ended up caged in the first place, recalling memories of a dark cavern which echoed with the sounds of battle and obscure chants, and a final silent scream as a familiar boy with black hair fell to his knees, his chest covered with blood.

“ _No, no, get away,”_ she slurred, her movements wild and uncoordinated, as if she was treading through thick sludge. “Stay away, back off-”

The boy -no he wasn’t a boy anymore, she knew what had taken place, what had been brought back, she could _feel it_ pressing down her soul- paused, frowning in an identical manner to how she remembered Kid and Kim felt something in her chest constrict but she wasn’t going to let that show.

Because damn her for admitting weakness, for feeling empathy for another person who, given the chance, would likely press her stones to see if she drowned the moment she revealed her true nature, but Kid _knew_ and he stood up and even talked back and even when he was imprisoned he had never actually threatened her-

"Bring Kid back, you filthy Reaper!"

She expected some sort of punishment for her words; perhaps a scythe poking out her back before tearing her in two, or maybe choking on her own blood, or even slowly fading away, unable to do anything as the world darkened and she ceased to exist.

What she got was the boy rubbing his forehead in frustration, his words strained and annoyed.

“Oh for crying out loud, not this again…”

Kim opened and closed her mouth in sheer surprise, forming choked syllables and broken thought processes. "What…?"

“Ok, long story short, I’m still Kid, ritual didn’t work because I’m already the Grim Reaper, now let’s get you out of here...”

However, Kim had stopped listening and stood frozen in place, as if high and looking at a surrealist painting, because she was pretty sure the meanings of ‘I am Kid’ and ‘I am the Grim Reaper’ were mutually exclusive.

The boy groaned at the lack of a response. "Look, I understand you may need some time to process this, but I need to get you out. I don’t care if I have to drag you, you are coming with me and escaping the place, understood?"

“I… what…?” the girl stumbled on her words, though this time she was a bit more focused. Her mind was still reeling from what the boy was saying, however, more and more worried kept piling up and so many of them were about the safety of other, dammit when had she become such a softie? "I-Is Jackie-?!”

“She’s with the others. She’s injured, but safe,” Kid quickly said, glancing back to hear the sounds of battle, a mixture of Weapons clashing and frustrated voices. “They’re attracting attention away from us, so we should be able to go by unnoticed.”

Being in a state of shock, Kim allowed herself to be pulled out from where she was trapped. The girl let out a sharp hiss and her knees buckled the moment she tried to stand up on her own two legs. The only thing that stopped her from hitting the floor were Kid’s quick reflexes, the boy catching her by the sides, a gesture that was overshadowed by the sheer pain that went through Kim’s mind.

Looking down, the girl flinched at the sight, wondering how she was even able of rational thought. Her leg from the left knee and down could have been featured in a slasher horror flick; the flesh was torn, blood fresh and old covering sliced skin and exposed muscle. Kim swore she could see the bone if she willed her knee to bend a certain way.

“Crap…” the girl grunted, breathing heavily. She was too spent to use her Regeneration Magic, having used most of it to power her Magic Circle, not to mention instinctively curing any life-threating injuries sustained by being almost crushed to death. For now, she would have to make do with a busted leg, though in her case that meant…

“Use me a support,” Kid hastily offered, wrapping one of Kim’s arms behind his neck, and already beginning to walk away from the crushed cells. “We have to get going _now_ -”

“That’s not the way to the exit,” Kim hissed, recognising the direction they were heading. Her hands tightly grasped the Grim Reaper’s shoulder in alarm and her next words were shaky. “Wait, where are you taking me…?!”

“There’s a second exit-”

“S-Says you,” Kim cut him off, her voice thick with paranoia.

The Grim Reaper barely had time to process the words when Kim unwrapped herself from him. She pushed the boy away and tried to make a run for it, only to scream as she placed part of her weight on her devastated leg and lost her footing, falling in an undignified heap to the floor, groaning in pain.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kid hissed in frustration when he regained his balance, glancing back.

"Get away from me!" Kim yelped, pressing her back against the wall. “I’m… not… dying here.”

“That’s what I’m trying to prevent!” Kid protested, looking torn between yelling obscenities at the Witch and helping her up. He settled for taking a small step forward, followed by Kim immediately backing up in fear.

“I said, stay away!” Kim hissed, though she was acutely aware of her weakened state. “I don’t know what goddamn game you’re playing-”

“Before this mess happened, you tried to get my lunch which was a half-eaten apple, and I may or may not have found this very amusing because I got to sabotage you,” Kid quickly said, causing the Witch to pause. “Is that proof enough, or do I need to include our terrible attempt of an escapade which lead to you being here and me bleeding out on an altar?”

And all of a sudden, it clicked.

“…Kid?”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Where am I to go now?” Kim mumbled. “Man, I messed up.”

The Witch was walking along the darkened paths of the catacombs, half her weight supported by the Grim Reaper walking by her side. Kid had a firm hold of her shoulders, and Kim relied on him whenever she had to move her injured leg, hissing every time she had to move the strained muscles.

"You couldn’t have known about this mess,” Kid responded. “To be honest you were blending in perfectly."

The two had made it further down the dungeons, Kid having quickly explained the events that transpired while Kim was doing her rendition of being buried alive. Kim mostly followed along, though there was one elephant in the room they had briefly addressed and now acted as if it was gone when it had simply moved to a corner.

"Same as you, Kid,” the Witch bitterly said. “Grim reaper, _what the fuck_.. _.?_ ” she muttered to herself, before turning to the boy. “Did you know?”

Kid hesitated. "No."

Kim let out a low whistle. “That must have been a hell of a revelation," she said and let out a nervous laugh. Kid would join in, but he’d mostly moved past the identity-crisis phase. "Say... you don’t hold a grudge for when I took your lunch, right?"

Kid huffed. "I’m not that petty."

"That felt like an insult, but I’ll let it pass," Kim said nonchalantly, giving the boy a small grin.

Kid raised an eyebrow at the girl’s reaction. “I have to say, of those who’ve known so far, you are the most casual about it.”

The Witch snorted. “Let me guess, lots of ‘I could have never guessed’ comments?”

“Takes some time to wrap your head around,” Kid admitted.

“Sure,” Kim drawled. “That, or they don’t know if you’ll come after them or something.”

“What-?”

“You’re Death, kiddo, and the Reaper ain’t know for bringing sunshine and rainbows. Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t know what to expect, and I bet that’s gotta freak them out.”

“You’re not scared, though,” Kid observed, as Kim placed his weight on him to take another step.

Kim rolled her eyes. “I know you’re not after my hide, and that’s enough.”

“And you know that, how…?”

“Easy,” the girl nonchalantly said. “If you wanted to kill me, I’d be dead already.”

Kid didn’t respond to that.

The two walked in silence, with Kid leading the way, as the Grim Reaper and Witch made their way further down the dark catacombs. Kid occasionally stopped, using his Soul Perception to avoid coming across anyone, and Kim used that to steal glances at the Grim Reaper.

"Say..." the Witch whispered after a while, her voice reverberating across the ancient rocks. "What are you gonna do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"About the whole Grim Reaper thing, what else?” She tilted her head to take a good look at the boy. “Are you escaping with the rest?"

The Grim Reaper shook his head. "I want to escape this place too, but people I care about are under that mad priest's watch and I can do nothing.” Kid stopped himself and looked away. His plans for getting Azusa and the others out were foiled from the moment Liz mentioned they had to use magic to escape; if their cells were reinforced like that, then one could imagine what sort of fortifications a Deathscythes’ cells would have. Certainly not something a bleeding Witch and inexperienced Grim Reaper could handle. "Death or not, I’m under that mad man's thumb…"

Kim didn’t answer immediately. "Oi, don’t beat yourself over it. One step at a time,” the girl eventually said in a joking matter, even giving Kid a mock pat on the back. “Besides that’s not true. You got me out, so you got some power."

"You got yourself out,” Kid stated. “So far all I’ve done is complicate things.”

“Geez, you sound like younger me,” the Witch mumbled, frowning at the implications of her words and halting.

Kid switched his attention to Kim when he noticed she wasn’t taking any steps forward. "Something wrong?"

"Kid..." Kim's voice had lost its usual arrogance and unsteady was surprisingly serene. "Take it from me. You’re not human and that’s a fact."

The Grim Reaper barely kept himself from rolling his eyes. "I’m well aware of that-"

"Geez, let a girl finish, won’t ya?" She snorted. "As I was saying, you ain’t human and that’s kinda of a big deal. _However_ ,” she stressed the last part, as Kid was about to protest, “that’s not the whole deal, and it doesn’t mean it's 'bad' or 'good'. Still, it’s gonna come with some preconceived notions about how you’re supposed to act and be. Most of that is probably crap, but it’s still there.”

"…your point being?"

"What I’m saying is that ya gotta acknowledge that stuff and use it to your advantage,” Kim continued, in a rare display of sincerity.  “For example, you being Grim Reaper means that, technically, you are the head of the Academy, not to mention all the god stuff. So in a way you have power over the priest. They probably won’t apply that rule fully ‘cuz you don’t look and act the ‘vengeful god’ type, but in time you could sway the people that matter. After all, the priest is basically a human claiming to follow Death's will, which means _your_ will,” she said, poking his chest. “Theodore is as strong as his followers, and I’m guessing you hold some tricks on those noodle arms of yours. Be tactical, be cunning and play the long game."

The Grim Reaper blinked, unsure if he was talking to the same cynical and pessimistic Kim from before. "...Thank you. You bring up a lot of good points."

Kim let out a triumphant humph and held her head high. "Of course I do. That wasn’t free advice either; I’m paying back the favour.”

"You’re not projecting, are you?" Kid asked in humour.

The Witch shuddered at the implications. "Just take my advice, you idiot."

"Still, I’m thankful. That was surprisingly nice for you…”

The Witch scowled at this. "You tell any of this and I’m gonna turn you into a frog, ya hear me?!"

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it-”

"Wait," Kim hissed, whipping her head to where they’d walked past. "Did you hear that?"

Kid stopped talking and listened. Muffled voices were coming from one of the pathways, and his Soul Perception revealed two unknown souls coming their way.

"More people. Wonderful." The boy 's head strayed towards a particularly dark corner of the dungeons. “There, there's an enclave we can hide in.”

"How'd you even see that, it's pitch black, woah-!" Kim protest was cut short as Kid dragged her into the darkness as the foreign voices grew louder. One of them sounded desperate.

"Wait a sec," Kim whispered in disbelief, straining to hear the increasingly louder voices. “I'd recognise that crybaby tone anywhere, that's-”

Harvar and Ford appeared just around the corner. They were running down the hallway, one of them like a man possessed, the other more like the unfortunate person delegated to stopping the aforementioned madman.

"Kim! My Queen!" The bald boy yelled. "I'll save you from this slander-!" The rest of his tirade was silenced by the darker skinned boy clamping Ox's face with his hand, all the while being bodily dragged via the Meister's sheer determination. The two made their way across the hallway, too preoccupied with loudly moving forward and stopping the aforementioned event to hear a muffled giggle coming from a dark corner of the crypts. Eventually, the two uncooperating students took a turn further in, and the sound of their arguing grew fainter and fainter.

A full blown laugh erupted from the corner.

“H-Holy crap,” Kim muttered between laughs. “I can’t believe he's actually still trying to 'protect' me,” her hysterical laughter devolved into gasping coughs, “the absolute madman.” Her coughs turned bitter. “Even if- even though he found out I'm…”  Kim made a sound which could be a sob or a laugh. “… _Goddamn all of you to hell_ ,” she hissed with no conviction.

Kid watched in silence, shifting in the awkward turn of events. When the Witch's laughs turned into sniffs, he placed a comforting hand on her back.

"Can’t believe people are trying to help me. I got you, Jackie, then those two bumbling idiots..." She rubbed her face to hide the moisture gathering on her eyes. "Goddammit, I'm getting emotional."

"That’s not necessarily a bad thing-"

"It sucks, I don't recommend it at all, zero stars out of whatever." She sniffed, regaining some of her composure. "Let’s get out of here. We're wasting time.”

"You don’t want to catch up to them?"

The Witch gave the Reaper a dry look. “Hell no. That'd just complicate things and make it more dangerous for us to escape."

Kid let out a sigh of relief as he helped Kim up to her feet and the two turned at the opposite corner from here the boys headed. "Good, I agree completely. I was afraid you'd want to go after them and then my plan would be thrown out the metaphorical window."

Kim couldn’t help let out a short laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"This," she chuckled. "Isn't this the point where the heroes of the story decide to go after their friends in a dramatic moment and learn about the power of friendship and whatever?"

Kid shrugged. "Pretty sure the Grim Reaper and a Witch aren’t the traditional 'heroes' of a story.”

Kim snorted. "More like the bad guys."

"Though, you are acting way nicer than normal. Should I start getting worried?"

"Keep this up Kid and Grim Reaper or not, I will hex you," she joked while the boy gave her an amused smile. "Remember Witches are the mortal enemies of...  basically everyone."

So caught up the two were in their friendly conversation, that they failed to notice the sound of footsteps coming their way.

The young Grim Reaper shook his head. "You don’t even know if your spells will work on me."

"Sure they will," Kim drawled. "I'm a pretty competent Witch, just so you know."

Kid shrugged. "I'm not sure. I seem to be a decent Grim Reaper myself."

The footsteps grew louder.

"You're the _only_ Grim Reaper, Kid. At least the only one we know of."

"Exactly," Kid replied light-heartedly. "I am my own standards."

Kim loudly snorted. "Semantics."

"But true nonetheless."

The footsteps stopped.

"Well-"

"Kim?!" A third loud voice came from behind the two inhumans and causing them to freeze in place. The Witch whipped her head around, eyes wide and gasped in shock. The Grim Reaper remained as he was, back turned against the two intruders and his hair partly obscured by the darkness permeating the catacombs.

"My Queen!" The relieved voice of Ox Ford reverberated along the hallways. "You're alive!"

"O-O-Ox?! How the hell did you get here?!"

"We came down here to save you from the slander and other escapees-" Ox quickly said, completely ignoring Harvar's objections, "but your cell was empty, so we ran throughout the dungeons trying to find you!"

"How did you get out?" The other boy calmly asked. "Your cells were laced with anti-escape mechanisms and supernatural bindings. A human couldn't have gotten you out."

Kid shut his eyes and bit his lip. "Crap."

The bald boy’s attention shifted to the obscured figure. "Who are they? Are they Jacqueline? Oi-"

Kid took a deep breath and turned around. Ox's words died in his mouth.

"You're..." Harvar's breathless voice trailed off in a rare display of emotion.

"S-stay away from her, you fiend!" Ox launched himself forward, one hand stretching out to grab Kim and potentially get her away from the Grim Reaper.

"Never a positive reaction,” Kid grumbled to himself.

"Shut up, Ox!" the Witch yelled as she slapped the boy's hand away. "Kid's helping me escape!”

" _Kid_?" Harvar arched his eyebrow. "Wasn't that the name of the guy who was killed in order to get the Grim Reaper?"

Kid's frown turned into a grimace.

Kim fumbled her words before eventually replying, "it’s complicated, ok? Just call him Kid."

"Never mind; we have to get you out of here," Ox said impatiently. “After that, we can figure out a way to set things straight!"

"Set things straight?" Kim repeated in confusion.

"Yeah. People think you’re a Witch!"

"They _think_?"

"Duh! Why did you think you got a death sentence? Some guy apparently can see through Soul Protect and whatever malarkey."

"So..." Kim's voice was blank. “You don’t think I’m a witch?

"You... you’re not a Witch. You can’t be one!"

"Why not?"

"Cause... because you’re a wonderful person! You can’t love a Witch, can you?" He said the last part in jest.

"I..." Kim trailed off and she brought her head down. “You know what, _fuck it_ ,” she hissed. “Jig's up anyways." She looked up at Ox. “Well, hate to break your fantasy dude, but _I am a Witch._ ”

Silence fell amongst the four.

"Then, according to the rules," the visor-wearing boy said. “We can’t let you escape."

Kim snorted. "Get that overachieving brain of yours working, Harvar.” She sneered as she tightened her hold on Kid’s shoulder. “You think _you_ can win against a Witch and the Grim Reaper?"

“Please don’t make them attack us,” the aforementioned Grim Reaper muttered.

"Why the hell is someone like you," Ox pointed at Kid, "helping her at all?!"

"I owe her a favour,” the Grim Reaper dryly responded. Frankly, Kid would like to respond with an expletive, as this was getting way more complicated than intended, his patience was running thin, and the boy challenging his self-identity wasn’t helping in the slightest.

"Point being, Kid is on my side and I trust him to get me out. If you wanna help, good. If you don’t, buzz off and keep quiet."

There was another bout of silence.

"Look, Ox, Harvar," Kim spoke up, causing the two boys to focus on her. "Yeah, I lied to you about what I really am, have always been. But that doesn't change _who_ I am, ok? Or at least, I think it won’t," she whispered to herself afterwards.

A moment passed.

"You..." Ox hesitantly spoke up, "you need any help?"

Kim glanced at Kid.

"No,” the thin boy said, hand on hips. "Everything is under control."

"Oh... ok." The nearly bold boy scratched his neck. "Can we do anything?"

"No," Kid responded. "The best option is for you to go to your rooms and pretend you never saw us."

"But what happens if it leaks that Death helped a Witch escape?"

“It won’t.” The Grim Reaper narrowed his eyes at the two. “Isn’t that right?”

“Uh, yeah…” Ox said, gulping. “We'll... we'll get going then," the boy dejectedly said, his back slouched. “Bye…"

As Kim saw the boys walk away, she groaned before yelling out. "Ox, Harvar!"

The Meister and Weapon duo turned around to look at the Witch.

"Um…” The Witch hesitated. “Thanks. I really appreciate what you tried to do."


	20. Bloody Faces and Bloodier Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I’m so sorry for the delay! L I’ve been busy these past few months with university assignments, social responsibilities, videogames, Brexit stresses, Easter, a dental emergency, plus vainly arguing with people on the internet about Genetics (I swear to fucking god I’m gonna find a way to punch the next person who goes ‘well ahctually, there are only 2 genders, it’s simple biology!’).
> 
> In other news, I’m planning on going back and rearranging the content of the chapters. Currently, After Death is a chaotic mixture of comparatively short 3500-words chapter and giant 12000-words ones. If I went back, I’d make sure the chapters would be roughly the same size and same format for better viewing pleasure, though that would end in a few false ‘new’ chapters (probably about 4). I’ll also add small blurbs of word-building and correct a couple of mistakes to add some façade of quality on this monster of a fic :P Would that be alright with everyone?

“My Lord, you who watches over the wheel of fate,

Master of darkness and coldness,

You see the true darkness in my heart,

And you accept me as I am, with all my faults and weakness.

Powerful Lord Death.

I ask thee to be my shield, my sole protector,

From, the liar, the traitor, the dark witch and my enemies,

Tie and bind their hands, arms, legs and feet,

So they can not hurt or harm me, my home and my family,

Punish them in the swift brand of justice and vengeance,

That only you can serve upon the evil and unjust,

I ask this from my heart, Lord Death.”

_Prayer Of Protection And Vengeance_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

After Kim and Kid’s short unwanted encounter with Ox and Harvar, the supernatural duo continued their descent of the dungeons, passing by empty cells and hallowed passages with minimum light. Kim had stayed relatively quiet, only letting out a soft hiss whenever she forced her injured leg to move. Kid had taken notice of that and would have offered to carry her had he not known that his request would likely be met with indignant protests.

Eventually, the two found themselves in the lower levels, where humidity was high and light was even more sparse. The only sounds were the echoes of their footstep and the occasional water drop hitting the stone floor.

“Sheesh…” Kim whispered, suppressing a shiver when the duo made their way through the now empty altar. Most of the torches were unlit, and the scenery was devoid of the mysticism that was palpable the last time they had been here. Right now, the room -if one could call it that- was as empty as the void. “Place is as creepy as I remember.”

If Kid had heard Kim’s comment, he didn’t respond, too preoccupied with using his Soul Perception to locate the others and partly because he wanted nothing more to do with this place which only carried memories of panic, fear and pain.

Wordlessly, Kid guided Kim across the altar, until they reached a small opening formed by collapsed rock. After some manoeuvring, which caused Kim to yelp when she accidentally brushed her injured leg against a rock, the two found themselves in another part of the dungeon. Light filled their view, torches and candles -Kid assumed this was the work of Kim’s Weapon- bathing the rock with orange hues, the torches leading up to an old rotten wooden door, in front of which three figures stood, their features partially hidden by the lack of light near the door.

One of the figures, a girl with long black hair and a smoking hand, immediately stood up when she saw the Grim Reaper and Witch make their way towards them. “Kim!”

It was brief, but for a rare moment there was a genuine smile on the Witch’s face. “Jackie…”

“Oi, sit down,” the tallest figure said as stepped forwards, revealing Liz’s annoyed face. “You’re in no condition to walk.”

“I’m perfectly fine!” To prove her point, Jackie took a brazen step forwards and then another, only for her to then swerve sideways as she lost her balance, clutching her forehead in pain.

Liz shook her head. “Told ya so.”

“Jackie!” Kim made a false start for her Weapon partner, only for her to hiss and almost fall if it hadn’t been for Kid’s support.

“You’re in no position to run too,” the Grim Reaper muttered at Kim, as the boy helped her reach the other three girls.

“Kiddo’s in one piece!” Patty exclaimed, letting out a small cheer, while Liz greeted them by letting out a small sigh.

“Your trip here wasn’t too bad I take it?” the older sister asked.

“Could have been worse,” Kid responded, slowly helping Kim sit near a wall where Jackie was resting as well, the latter girl clutching her temple though her gaze was focused on the Witch. “You?”

“Didn’t meet anyone me and Patty couldn’t handle.” Liz let out a small chuckle. “As for the others, Maka and that other ninja kid were holding off the rest of the Academy staff when we last saw them.”

“It was like a game of tag!” Patty said with a giggle.

Their conversation was cut short as footsteps echoed from the direction of the altar. The footsteps were hasty, as if the person they belonged to was running, and soon enough a girl with blonde pigtails wielding scythe appeared through the narrow exit.

“Speak of the Devil…” Liz murmured.

“Kid!” Maka greeted them all with a bright smile while Soul transformed into his human form. “Oh, and you got Kim and Jackie out too!” she said, her enthusiasm not waning in the slightest.

 “Someone’s enjoying this,” Kim commented to herself before straightening her back and addressing the two newcomers. “Oi, shouldn’t we get going? Weren’t you two supposed to act as a distraction?”

At this Soul let out a small laugh, while Maka gave them a sheepish look.

“Well…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Ten floors above Maka and the rest of the group, a pale man in his late twenties rested his back against a wall, his breaths deep as a river of sweat ran down his brow. “Bloody demon…”

Next to him lay a short sword, with the face of his Weapon -a woman about his age with delicate Slavic features- having settled into an annoyed scowl. “This is ridiculous.”

More Academy members were close to them, some to the point of exhaustion like the duo, while even those that had any remaining energy did not look eager to participating in whatever battle was going on. Their group was separated from the main faction, the latter being led by a large bearded blonde man, due to a rising frustration about being seemingly led in circles.

“He went left!”

“I’m telling you I saw him go right-!”

“John, last time you said so we ended up going in circles!”

“I swear on my mum this time!”

“…John, isn’t your mum dead-?” a third voice interrupted.

“Toby, goddammit, I swear I will shove this torch up your-!”

“ _Catch me if you can, mortals!”_ All other conversations were silenced as what they perceived as the voice of a demon incarnate reverberated through the hallway they were scattered in, a faint spiky silhouette visible on a distant wall. “Oh, who am I kidding, no one can match the perfection that is me, _YAHOO_!”

And just like that, the silhouette vanished from their view leaving only a mad cackle behind.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“We’re good, trust me,” Soul said in amusement, as he pocketed his hands and looked around the dark crevice they were in. “So, what’s the plan now?”

“This door leads outside,” Kid began. “You should all get out of here as fast as possible.”

“We’re still waiting on BlackStar and Tsubaki,” Maka protested with a slight scowl on her face. “We shouldn’t leave anyone behind.”

Kid frowned and turned to at Maka, but the girl gave him a stubborn look, daring him to try and convince her otherwise, Grim Reaper or not.

“…Right,” Kid eventually agreed, holding back any protests that they were in dangerous waters and that the longer they stayed the greater the chances of being caught. He knew very well his words would fall on empty ears. Besides, they were past the critical part of their plan; they could afford to wait. “When you get out, you should leave the city. It’s filled with Academy members and you’ll be recognised.” The boy sighed. “I wish I could be of more use, but there’s not much that can be done at the moment. Plus, once you leave we won’t be able to stay in touch.”

“Where are we planning on going in the first place?” Jackeline asked. “Even if we manage to leave the city, we have to worry about food and shelter.”

“I should be able to get us some funds,” Kim said, winking at her Weapon partner. “I know a magic trick or two.”

The Lantern Weapon became flustered at Kim’s words, gulping and looking away, much to Kim’s confusion.

“At least we know that the Resistance has its HQ at Mexico City,” Soul said. “We can head there and sort things out with them. It’ll be like a road trip.”

“That sounds good.” Maka nodded at the three before turning to the two sisters. “What do you two think?”

“Hm?” an absent-minded Liz muttered. “Yeah, whatever you say.”

Their conversation was cut short by loud splashing sounds coming from the altar. Everyone looked in the direction opposite to the door, tensing at the unknown intruder. Jackie grit her teeth while Soul positioned himself to Maka’s side, his frame slumped in anticipation of transforming into his Weapon form.

Their apprehension vanished as a very familiar and loud blue-haired ninja wielding a katana appeared through the entrance.

“’Sup, losers!” the boy yelled as a greeting, while Tsubaki transformed back into her human form, filching at her Meister’s brashness. “The Great Black*Star is here!”

“Ah, so the last member of our little circus troupe had arrived,” Kim whispered to herself and Jackie, causing the latter to let out a small giggle.

“Dude, what took you so long?” Soul asked.

“Um, we had a couple of people going after us, so we had to lose them,” Tsubaki apologetically said. “Sorry for the wait.”

The assassin pouted at his Weapon’s words. “I should have beaten them up. That way, they’d begin worshipping me, rather than a Grim Reaper too scared to fight the one who will surpass God!”

“Oi,” Kid protested half-heartedly but did not pursue the matter further. The last thing he wanted to do was to be dragged into a fight.

“Can we leave now?” Kim interrupted the two, getting up with Jackie supporting her. “Everyone’s here, let’s stop dilly-dallying and _go._ ”

Kid nodded at Kim’s words and turned to leave. “Right, I’ll leave you to it. I need to go back as well-”

“Hey.” Liz reached out and grabbed Kid’s wrist, stopping him from leaving.

Kid looked back, in confusion. “Liz? Is there something wrong?”

The elder Thompson didn’t respond, her face conflicted, causing Patty nudged her in amusement. “If you don’t say it, sis, I will.”

“Say what?”

Patty gave Kid a big smile. “Sis and I wanna stick with ya, Kiddo!”

A small silence fell to their group shortly after. Kid regarded the sisters as if they’d grown wings. Kim let out a small snort and sat back in amusement. Maka, however, after getting over her initial shock, allowed herself a small smile. Kid had always been lonely growing up for a variety of reasons. For a big part of growing up, Marie and Azusa were moving from city to city, Maka and her dad being in a similar situation. Even after both their families had moved to New York semi-permanently, the two still stuck with each other only. If Maka had to make friends, she would have to lie about herself and the girl hated pretending. As for Kid, though the boy was generally sociable, he had not grown close with anyone else either. Maka didn’t know the reason why, and any theories she had would only become more convoluted with the newly-discovered Grim Reaper implication.

If one good thing came out of the mess they found themselves in, that would be meeting all these new people. Maka had met Soul and though the boy occasionally frustrated her, he still stuck out with her like they had done when they’d escape.

 It was good to see Kid was making friends as well.

“That’s impossible,” Kid stated.

“Look, I’ve been thinking about it,” Liz said. “Hear me out-”

“How are you even going to convince Theodore that you’re with the Academy?” Kid protested.

Liz didn’t answer immediately. Her scowl deepened, but she forced herself into a neutral expression as she turned and regarded the Witch. “Kim, I need a favour.”

Kim tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “I’m listening.”

“I have an idea…”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Today was a very stressful day for Joe Butattaki. Arguably, the same claim could be made for almost every day of the past week, but the man was fearing he was reaching his limit; from the ritual, to ending up in colluding with the Grim Reaper of all beings, and now trying to cover up for the aforementioned Grim Reaper because there was a breakout from a Witch which Joe had only recently been informed was an ally.

At this point in time, Joe had just spent what felt like hours lead a small group of Meisters and Weapons in circles through the Academy’s dungeons and away from the actual location of escapees, which required a constant and draining use of Soul Perception, not to mention how Joe had to make sure to keep his wits about him so one on their group would suspect him of misdirection. After his mock search ended when Joe sensing the escapees’ souls reaching the hidden exit, he wanted nothing more than for this day to end and for him to sink into his bed, oblivious to the world. However…

“Ah, Joe there you are.”

 _Duty_ called him.

Joe stopped his tracks and barely had time to compose himself. Before him stood Theodore, and the elder man did not look pleased.

“You called for me, sir?”

It was a meaningless question, one borne out of politeness. The out-of-breath messenger that had found Joe in the dungeons made it abundantly clear that Theodore requested Joe’s presence ASAP.

“You’re here, finally…” Theodore said under his breath before speaking up. “It is about Lord Death… I cannot find them ever since that damned break-out.”

“Oh, that’s strange,” Joe said with a straight face. “Maybe they’ve… taken a walk?”

Theodore gave the man an unamused glare. “No matter. Use your Soul Perception to find them.”

“Should we really need to worry about Lord Death, sir?” Joe spoke up, trying his best to buy time for Kid. “I’m sure they can take care of themselves.”

“There are dark forces conspiring against us… and our lord has been weaker than what I expected…”

“Is something worrying you, sir?” Joe misdirected, perfectly faking the behaviour of a clueless humble servant.

Theodore gave Joe a brief appraising look before looking away. “They have been acting… strange.” Theodore placed a hand on his chin. “I’m starting to suspect there were complications with the vessel.”

Joe chose not to comment on this. Part of him was amused on how much Theodore underestimated Kid’s ‘complications’, yet another was worried about the High Priest’s suspicions land them into another heap of trouble. Not to mention that Joe still wasn’t fully convinced of what happened at the altar. So far, he was going by Kid’s word that he had been the Grim Reaper all along because the boy’s version of events seemed to be the most believable based on his behaviour, but still…

Ah, Joe had to focus. There was no point in mulling over this now, not when he was still in hot water.

With a sigh, Joe turned on his Soul Perception, already planning in leading Theodore on a wild goose chase if Kid’s soul was still in the lower levels of the dungeons-

“They’re coming,” Joe reflexively said when he saw the large yellow soul being on their level and approaching their direction.

 “To us?” Theodore asked.

Joe nodded and frowned. Kid’s soul seemed to be accompanied by two more… “Yes, they’re about to turn into the hallway-”

Joe’s words died in his mouth when he saw the Grim Reaper’s appearance. Theodore was also stunned to silence, his mouth slightly opening but with no words coming out.

Joe did a double-take. He was pretty sure Kid’s plan didn’t involve him being covered in blood.

Theodore opened his mouth, his gaze travelling over the Grim Reaper’s bloody form, and Joe didn’t blame the old man since he was doing the same.

Kid was wearing the black cloak that he had discarded when Joe’s plan had been put into motion. The fabric was wet and its edges dripped with blood, leaving a red trail behind. The Grim Reaper’s head wasn’t in any better condition, his face a white canvas marred by red. His bangs seemed stuck to his forehead, clumped together by the red substance. The only thing left undisturbed by the blood were the three white lines in his hair.

Most telling of everything, however, was that despite the copious amount of blood on him, Kid lacked any wounds.

Unperturbed by the men’s silence, Kid walked towards to them. The boy’s expression didn’t betray his thoughts, remaining neutral despite its morbid bloody state.

“Milord,” the High Priest eventually said, giving the Grim Reaper a bow which Joe numbly copied.

“Theodore.” Kid’s voice was calm, so much so that Joe wasn’t sure if it was genuine or not.

“Pardon my surprise.” Theodore hesitantly stood up from his bow. “I did not expect to find you in such a…” The High Priest briefly paused and looked over the Grim Reaper, “state.”

Taking advantage of the old man’s distractedness, Joe examined Kid’s appearance as well. There were no visible wounds on Kid, and the boy wasn’t limping or dismaying any other signs of injury.

“Do not worry.” A ghost of a smile twitched the corners of the Grim Reaper’s bloody lips. “This is not my blood.”

 “May I ask then, whose is it, milord?”

“…The Witch’s.”

Joe had been operating under the assumption that the young Witch was Kid’s ally and that the Grim Reaper wanted to help her. Though, what if Kid, being a Grim Reaper, had a different concept of help…?

Or maybe this was all a bluff. Though that wouldn’t explain where all that blood came from. You couldn’t get all of this by a simple cut…

“You have taken her out?” Theodore asked, taken aback.

“The escapees haven been taken care off,” the Grim Reaper nonchalantly replied. “It was hardly difficult.”

Joe’s throat became dry. What Kid had just said... It couldn’t be… could it? This had to be some sort of bluff, a lie. Joe barely knew the young Grim Reaper, but if the boy had made one thing clear to him is that he wasn’t heartless...

Perhaps Joe judged wrong. Again.

Next to the man, Theodore’s mild surprise gave way to an approving look. “Ah, I must thank you, milord, but also apologise. You shouldn’t have to clean up after our messes.”

“What’s done is done,” Kid said. “There is one thing I wanted to talk to you about, actually.”

“Of course, milord.”

With no warning, two balls of light appeared on each side of Kid’s hips before jumping out of the cloak and materialising into two teenage girls.

“’What-?!”

“I believe their names are Elizabeth and Patricia,” Kid calmly said.

Joe had to blink twice when the two girls appeared and then blinked again when the sisters kneeled in supplication shortly after materialising. These two were the souls he sensed when Kid approached them, but after seeing macabre Kid’s appearance he assumed that they were long dead, not hidden in their weapon form. Just what was going on-?

Theodore’s face underwent a variety of expressions before settling into a scandalised one. “ _You_!”

 “Is there a problem?” Kid asked.

Theodore’s face screamed that there were many problems and that the man had difficulty finding a place to start. “These two attacked us during your revival, Milord!” Theodore eventually said, pointing an accusatory finger at the two. “They were allies of your vessel, they will certainly betray us!”

Kid nodded at the man’s words, before taking a step back to bring the kneeling sisters in Theodore’s full view. “Well?”

“…It was a mistake,” the older sister said with her head lowered.

“Such _mistakes_ are not acceptable-!”

“We were desperate, alright!?” the older sister cut Theodore off, but did not look up. “You’d locked us up for no good reason, of course we would side with the guys trying to break us out.”

Theodore’s nose wrinkled as if he had smelled expired milk. “And you have already lost faith to your Meister? I’d say, lack of loyalty is one of the worst traits a Weapon could have-”

“Kid dropped us,” the younger sister bluntly said.

Theodore paused his rambling and straightened his back, his brow frowned in intrigue. “Did he now?”

Liz looked at Joe, and Theodore followed her gaze. “Ask him. He was there when it happened.”

“That’s true,” Joe said in an even voice. He glanced at Kid, but the boy’s expression was unreadable, his soul even more so. “The boy tried to wield them, but failed.”

“Is that so?” Theodore narrowed his eyes at the two. “So, you are two Meister-less Weapons.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Liz lifted her head and looked at Kid. “To be with our Meister.”

“You? Death’s Weapons?!” Theodore let out a derisive laugh while Liz gritted her teeth. “Child, I’d say you’ve already been swallowed up by the Madness.”

“I do need a Weapon,” Kid said, crossing his hands.

“This is what we Deathscythes for, milord. Though unfortunately, the only one currently available is Tezca,” Theodore spit out the man’s name like it was poison, “and we have no replacement for his position as our government contact.”

“Exactly,” Kid agreed.

Theodore shook his head. “There are plenty of Weapons that would consider it their highest honour to serve you, Milord. We don’t have to resort to these _street rats_ -”

“But we don’t know how my Wavelength will affect normal Weapons,” Kid quickly said, ignoring Liz’s scowl. “I don’t want to risk the well-being of an Academy member.

“They are expendable.”

A scowl appeared on Kid’s face but was quickly smoothed into a resigned expression.

“A dead Weapon is of no use to me.” The Grim Reaper’s voice was cold and sharp. “As you mentioned, Theodore, we are already stretched thin when it comes to personnel. Let’s not exacerbate the situation.”

Theodore stared at Kid, who reciprocated the gesture. Joe was reminded of the time he saw Kid’s reflection when the boy held the window shard to his throat.

Eventually, Theodore broke eye contact and bowed his head. “I suppose they’ll make do until we decide what to do with the captive Deathscythes.”

“I’ll vet them,” Joe offered while looking at the sisters. “Just in case.” He glanced at Kid, in case he could make out any hint at the boy’s true intentions.

The Grim Reaper’s soul towered over them, yellow, powerful and still completely alien to Joe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon after reading the Soul Eater Not manga is that Jackie is totally gay for Kim. I don’t really do relationship stuff, but the dynamic of Ox continuously flirting at Kim with a jealous Jackie watching them is too fun to imagine XD
> 
> One more thing to add is that Theodore uses the neutral pronoun ‘they’ to refer to Kid, because -and this bit is also Headcanon- the Death of the AU wouldn’t have interacted much with humans and wouldn’t have established any pronouns basis, plus using ‘they’ would make it sound more regal because of its plurality (the same line of thinking as when using a regal ‘we’). Joe copies Theodore when in his presence or wants to refer to the Grim Reaper persona, but then switched to ‘he’ when talking to Kid as an individual. However, I’m not sure if I’ve been consistent with the pronouns so far, so part of my small editing spree is going back and fixing any stray pronouns.


	21. Better Drowning Together Than Alone

“Even after so many years, I still see them in my dreams.”

Isabela, _Confessions of a Soul Eater_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“If you indulge me for a moment, milord, I have to take my leave.” Theodore sent a barely-disguised looked of contempt on the two guns on Kid’s hands. “I have to arrange those two’s… accommodation.”

“Of course. We’ll stay here.” The Grim Reaper nodded and watched as the High Priest turned around and headed for one of the exits with Joe accompanying him.

“Liz? Patty?” Kid whispered when Theodore went out of sight, leaving Kid and the sisters alone in the room.

“We’re alright,” came Liz’s metallic voice from her Weapon form. “This feels… weird.”

“Weird?” Kid asked.

“Ugh, your current Wavelength is familiar to your old one, but,” the older Thompson paused, “different I guess….”

“It’s like having a double espresso instead of decaf!” came Patty’s excited whisper. “Feels weird, but in a good way!”

Kid frowned. “Oh.”

“Try shooting something,” Patty said. “I wanna see how our bullets work again!”

“That’ll make a lot of noise,” Kid whispered, looking around. Thankfully, Theodore was still in another room and wasn’t headed in Kid’s direction. “It’d definitely alert people.”

“This sucks then,” Liz grumbled. “We finally get together and we can’t even shoot for fun.”

“At least we know what happened back at the Van was temporary,” Kid said with relief.

“So,” Liz spoke up after a small period of silence. “The Grim Reaper, huh? No offence, but I thought you’d be more…”

“Intimidating?”

Liz shrugged. “I’d say ‘more of a dick’, but I guess intimidating is a nicer way of putting it.”

Kid snorted in amusement. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Yeah…” Liz trailed off, her tone slowly turning sombre. “Hey, how did you know?”

Kid looked down on the Weapon and frowned. “Hm?”

“How do you know you are the Grim Reaper? That the ritual-thingy didn’t go haywire and gave you Grim Reaper powers or some other weird shit?” Liz began. “And honestly, if you are a Grim Reaper, how does the whole thing work? Have you always been Death, or is it like, part of Death that made you the Grim Reaper-?”

“Frankly, I’m not sure of anything. It’s not like this,” he gestured to himself, “came with an instruction manual.” He frowned. “Though…”

“Yeah?” Liz asked out of curiosity, her face appearing on her Weapon form.

Kid shook his head and looked away. “You’ll think I’ve gone mad.”

“Pft, sure.” Liz’s reflection rolled her eyes. “Because you being Death is a very sane thing to assume.”

Kid knit his eyebrows in protest but let out a resigned sigh. “After the Ritual, I had a...” He paused. “I think it was a dream, but I’m not even sure if I can even have dreams in the first place-“

“Oi, existential stuff later, tell me about your dream.”

“Right, so,” Kid began. “There was a… figure.” Liz nodded as the boy continued, “It was… let’s say I thought it was the actual Grim Reaper.”

“Shit, are you being possessed-?”

“No, that’s what I thought as well, but it turns out it wasn’t true. They actually helped me with… an issue I had earlier. They also explained a few things.”

“They?” Patty asked. “There were many Grim Reapers?”

“No, just one. Using ‘it’… doesn’t feel right. And though the voice was masculine, I don’t think they had a gender.”

“How’d you know that?”

Kid shrugged. “Anyways, they said I’ve always been the Grim Reaper.”

There was a small pause between them.

“Well,” Liz eventually said. “If the voice in your head said so, I don’t any reason we should doubt it.”

Kid gave her a blank stare. “Elizabeth.”

“My Lord and Saviour, Death,” she shot back, her voice immediately cracking afterwards and dissolving into giggles, with Patty joining along.

“Will you stop that?”

“Won’t, too funny.”

Kid rolled his eyes. “Let’s stop now,” he said, looking at the distance. “Theodore’s coming.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Shortly after Theodore arrived, he ordered Joe to accompany Liz and Patty to the Student Dormitories, while he escorted Kid to the baths, on account of the Grim Reaper looking like he’d swam in a literal Red Sea. 

Currently, the Thompson sisters were following Joe as they made their way out of the main Academy building and into the streets. There, once people noticed the badge on Joe’s vest -a small skull pin- they immediately went off their path.  Many stared. Some of the younger people -students, Liz assumed- frowned at their appearance and started whispering to each other. She was also acutely aware of the castle-like structure looming above her, seemingly watching the entire city.

Eventually, after going through more streets with students in them, they reached a series of buildings. Judging from the sheer number of teenagers and young adults gathered, Liz figured these houses were the student halls.

“That’s where you’ll be,” Joe said, pointing to one of the buildings barely visible and accessible by a narrow hallway between two other student halls.

As they made it through the walkway, Liz got a better look of where she was supposed to stay and frowned.

It was an old building, judging by the bricks with multiple layers of faded paint. The front door was a large structure, with the wood partially rotten away and covered in layers of posters, with the inner layers having been bleached by the sun.

It was certainly better than the abandoned warehouses she was used to, or the jail cells she had found herself lately, but at this point Liz expected some level of decency when it came to their accommodation. Hell, she and Patty were Death’s Weapons, shouldn’t they have some level of luxury afforded to them?

“Maintenance too expensive?”

Joe grimaced. “Something like that.”

“It looks nice!” Patty skipped to the door and looked through the posters until her gaze was drawn to the rest of the building. “Hey, look sis, our neighbours! Hi~!”

Liz followed her sister’s gaze. There were faces on the windows, but they were gone before Liz could register any of them.

Her frown deepened. “Warm reception.”

Liz gave another look of her surroundings; they were in a cramped area between the front and back of two dormitories. Another pathway was on the side, probably leading to the back of their dormitory as well. “Anyways, we’ll get going-”

Joe grabbed her arm. “One second.”

Liz looked back and glared at the man. “What?”

Instead of answering, Joe nudged the sisters into the pathway leading to the back. He looked around and briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them, the man sighed and gave Liz a long look. “You have another reason you want to be here-”

Liz crossed her arms and gave him a scowl. “That’s none of your business.”

“It is, if your plan is to create trouble-”

“We ain’t, now buzz off- hey!” She protested when Joe grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her from leaving.

“Look, let’s settle this the easy way,” Joe said, trying his best to sound soothing. Judging by Liz’s deepening frown, it wasn’t working.

Patty nudged the elder Thompson. “Hey sis, we should tell him! It’s not like it’s bad~”

Buttataki frowned at Patty. Her tone was off.

“Ok, fine,” Liz drawled and crossed her arms in an overly dramatic fashion. “I’ll tell you.”

“I appreciate that,” Joe said in a flat tone.

“You should.” Liz grabbed a tuft of her hair and played with it. “Well, we just wanted to be with Kid, what else-“

“Why?” Joe insisted, his eyes narrowed.

Liz shrugged and looked away. “You heard the High Priest, it’d be such an honour and yadda yadda-”

Joe leant back and sighed. “And now you’re clearly lying…”

“No, I’m not-”

“Don’t bother,” Joe cut her off. “I can tell.”

Liz’s composure fell or a second, but it was right back in the form of a sly smirk. “Maybe I am. What’cha gonna do about it?”

“Pester you until you tell me the truth,” Joe said semi-humorously.

“Or until Patty and I lose our patience and shoot you.” Though Liz’s tone was nonchalant, Joe couldn’t help but notice the way the younger sister stared at him, her shoulders slightly arched and her trigger finger twitching.

“You won’t do that.”

“Try me.”

Joe sighed. “If you do, then every person near us, including the guards, are going to hear it, and the Academy will get involved, Kid and Theodore.”

“Then I just say that you tried to attack us.” Liz shrugged. “Happened before. Kid will believe me.”

“And many things happened _after_ that as well, so I’m not a random stranger to the boy.”

Liz huffed. “You two buddies now?”

Joe sighed, a bit worn from the girl’s constant deflections. “It’s not only Kid. Theodore will be alerted too, and he considers me a confidant. I don’t have to mention his view of you to make it obvious who’s word he’ll take.”

“Kid’s word trumps Theodore’s-”

“Then Theodore will get suspicious, and you will jeopardise Kid’s cover-up, which can end very, very badly.”

Joe waited for Liz’s counterargument, but there was none. Instead, the Demon glared at him.

Joe crossed his hands, feeling slightly smug. “So, are you going to take the shot?”

“Stand down, Patty,” Liz eventually growled and the younger Thompson eased out of her hostile composure but still gave a cold glare to Joe. “So, what’s your deal? What do you want?”

“Only your reason for staying here. And no lies this time, please.” He stared down at Liz. “As I said before, I can tell.”

“What, you some sort of super spy now?”

Joe crossed his hands. “You’re stalling.”

 Liz groaned. “Ugh fine.” She looked away, and her gaze briefly flickered to Patty. “Protection.”

Joe frowned. Liz wasn’t lying. “That doesn’t make sense. You’d be safer out there.”

“What, with the others?” Liz scoffed. “Only one of them is Kid’s friend, the others are new additions or people that he didn’t like much in the first place. Not really a trustworthy bunch.”

Joe raised an eyebrow. “And this place is safer?”

Liz let out a bitter smile. “Funny thing, Kid is the last person I expect to murder us.” Her smile turned into a frown. “The Witch knows I’m a soul eater, and she has it out for me and Patty. I don’t trust her not to claim I’ve gone mad and sic the others on me and my sis. That explanation good enough for you?”

Joe let out a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding. “It’s an honest one, for starters.” And a not-malicious one to boot.

“Duh, you made it obvious I can’t lie to you, big guy. Now if you don’t mind-”

“Hold on. There’s one last thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “What is it now?”

Joe tilted his head to the younger sister. “Privately, if possible.”

Liz narrowed her eyes at the man. Still, she let out a small groan and turned to her sister with a kind smile. “Patty, would you mind going on without me? I promise I’ll be with you in a sec.”

“Are you sure sis?”

“Yeah, it’ll be just a minute.”

“Alright! I’ll go meet out new flatmates!” With a skip, Patty turned around to the entrance of the dormitory and out of their sight.

Joe stared at the direction of the younger sister for a while before turning to Liz. “I want to talk to you about the souls you’ve eaten.”

Liz took a step back and leant against the wall, her hands crossed tightly around her. “What about them?”

Joe raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “You know what I’m referring to.”

Liz scoffed. “Oh please, don’t act so high and mighty. I bet you’ve killed your fair share of folk too-”

“But I haven’t _eaten_ souls. That’s different.”

“So what? Stop worrying, it’s not like I’ll randomly turn into a pre-Kishin or something.”

“But you’ve already made progress.” Joe sighed. “Have you talked with Kid about the matter?”

Liz looked away. “Sort of.”

Joe’s face fell. “…You’re referring to the fight you had in the van, don’t you?”

“None of your business-”

“It is my business if this affects you-”

“It ain’t gonna.” Liz crossed her hands and give the man a smug smirk. “I’m a tough cookie.”

“I’ve known people stronger than you. It doesn’t matter how tough’ you are.”

“Your point?”

“Are you losing it?” Joe bluntly asked.

Liz gave the man an even glare before she walked away.

“You’re still alive, ain’t you?”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid sat back and let out a content sigh.

For all the sprawling musty dungeons, the winding hallways leading nowhere and austere lifeless rooms, the Academy's baths were like no other.

The bathhouse Kid was in was nothing compared to the small bathtub hastily afforded to him when he'd first awoken as the Grim Reaper.

This bath like a small shallow pool. Kid sat comfortably in it, with the water reaching his chin. The steaming water warmed his bones and eased his muscles.

Decoration was minimal. A big window with stained glass on one side let the sun's dying rays illuminate the room in a soft glow. Furniture was also sparse, with only a wooden bench where Kid had left his clothes.

For a moment, he could put aside the countless worries that crowded his head -constant and loud and _disorderly-_

This really was a peaceful place.

Kid winced when his hand accidentally traced a half-healed cut on his inner upper right arm. An identical wound was on his left arm.

He tenderly rubbed the injured spots to wash away the dried blood. It left behind a still-bleeding but small cut which should fully heal within half an hour.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure whether Liz’s plan was brilliant or reckless. It probably was a combination of both. Fake their deaths by using Kim’s blood and magic. Use the Witch’s regained Regeneration blood to make sure Kid is covered in blood without causing permanent damage to anyone… The Academy would stop going after them, Kid would get bonus points in Theodore’s eyes so he could convince the High Priest to keep Liz and Patty as Weapons.

Letting out another sigh, Kid let his head fall back and rest on the stone edge of the bath, thinking back on how he and the sisters made their way out of the dungeons.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

A slightly out of breath Kid darted from one dark corner to the other. His cap was long gone and he had retrieved his cloak, not to mention the blood that was _everywhere_.

“Do you know where we are?” Patty ‘s voice came from her Weapon form.

“We still haven't reached the upper levels,” Kid said, craning his neck. “There are a couple of groups running around, at least on this floor.” “Though there are…”

Kid looked to the side, where cells were lined to the corridor on their side. Any guards stationed there were gone, probably in a vain attempt to capture the escapees.

“Go,” Liz’s voice came from her Weapon form.

Kid turned his gaze to Liz, frowning.

“You’re looking at that place like a lost puppy,” Liz said. “Whatever you want to do, go and do it fast.”

Kid stared at the empty hallway before looking back where he came from. The area was quiet, and his Soul Perception revealed that the only souls in the area were behind bars. The boy slowly moved towards the jail cells, his feet scrunching up stray pebbles.

“Who’s there?” a familiar voice asked. Kid had to hold himself from running towards it, instead choosing to stay in the relative darkness of the hallway. His clothes felt heavy and wet.

“It’s me,” Kid called out, making sure he remained in the shadows.

“Kid?” the same voice asked. “Where are you?” Marie’s head appeared between one of the cells, followed by the familiar faces of Azusa, Spirit and Sid. Kid could also sense Naigus and Stein’s souls in the adjacent cells.

“Here,” Kid said but didn’t move. “I’d rather not show myself for now…”

 “What happened?” Spirit asked, his loud voice echoing in the stone walls. “I swear we all heard an explosion-!”

“Yeah, caught me off guard too,” Kid muttered before speaking up. “Maka and the others have escaped.”

“What?” Azusa asked. “How did they?”

Kid grimaced not sure of how much he should say. Kim was a witch after all, and three of the people gathered were Deathscythes. He wasn’t sure what views Marie, Azusa and Spirit held of Witches as a whole, and this wasn’t the time and place to find out. “Long story.”

“Why are you here?”

“Also a long story.”

“Maka…” Spirit’s voice trailed off, the man’s brow was lined with worry.

“She made it out alright,” Kid quickly said. “They all did, they should all be out of the Academy’s reach by now.”

A collective sigh left the people in the room.

“Oh I’m so relieved,” Marie muttered when Kid finished his retelling. “At least the kids made it out of this place.”

“Yeah,” Kid agreed.

“You take care as well.” Azusa tilted her head to the side and her gaze grew unfocused. “Who are the two with you?”

Liz out a sharp hiss. “How did she-?”

“Azusa can perform Soul Perception, like me,” Kid quickly said.

With no warning, Liz and Patty transformed into their human forms and stepped into the torch’s light to face the adults. Mira’s face appeared in the front of her cell as well.

“I’m Liz, this is Patty,” the elder Thompson gestured first to herself and then to her sister with a confident smirk.

“We’re twin pistols!”

There was a brief moment of silence and Liz felt her smirk fade under the adult’s scrutiny. Frankly, the undead dude freaked her out the most with his vacant eyes, but the others weren’t doing her any favours. The dreadlocked woman was giving her a wide-eyed stare, which Liz didn’t know I this was the norm for her. She also had no idea how to interpret the Asian woman’s blank expression or the two unreadable faces of the red-headed man and the blonde woman. Hell, those last three were Deathscythes, which meant they had more power than Liz could ever hope to gain by eating random souls.

A bead of sweat ran down her forehead.

“Azusa, our boy’s teamed up with Weapons!” Marie squealed, her eyes twinkling. “Oh, they grow up so fast-!”

“Two of you?” Azusa said with a raised eyebrow. “When did you meet?”

“Way back from New York.”

“Hello girls, you can call me Marie~!” the blonde Deathscythe said, offering her hand for a handshake.

“Hiya miss!” Patty said with a laugh reaching out and high-fiving Marie’s offered hand, much to the woman’s confusion.

“Oh I remember you,” a new voice came from one of the cells, and a new face appeared through the bars. Liz found herself taking an unconscious step back.

“Sis!” Patty said with urgency, “that’s the creepy guy who had us in prison and wanted to cut up Kid!”

“I’m never living this down, am I-?”

“What’s this crazy dude doing with you?!”

“I’m on your side-“

“Hell you are-!“

“Liz,” Kid said with a sigh. “He is.”

Liz gave Kid a pointed look. “I’m starting to see a pattern here…”

“Hey Kid,” Spirit said. “This is going to be a long-shot, but can you bust as out?”

“What?” Kid said in surprise. “Um, I’m not sure. The explosion you sensed was Maka and the rest escaping their cells. They escaped through a secret passage… I could guide you-”

“No,” Stein cut him off. “You’re running out of time as well, right? I can’t imagine Theodore letting you out of his sight, especially during an escape attempt.”

“I’m currently MIA,” Kid said, which earned him a disapproving look by Azusa. “But the Academy’s big enough, so I can just say I got lost…” Kid said upon noticing his guardian’s strict look.

“That’s hardly reassuring-” Azusa cut herself off when she saw the Marie give Kid a thumbs-up. The Japanese woman rubbed her brow. “You two are going to give me a heart attack one of these days.”

“We only need help to get out of this cells,” Marie said in a reassuring tone. “After that, everything else is going to be a cakewalk!”

“Speak for yourself, I’m not a Deathscythe,” Mira muttered.

Liz turned to Kid. “So, can you?”

Kid shrugged. “Can’t hurt to try.”

Liz and Patty transformed into their Weapon forms -accompanied by a proud maternal squeal from Marie- and Kid took aim at the lock closest to him, belonging to Azusa’s cell.

Kid pulled the triggers and the two bullets hit the lock but caused no damage. Most importantly through, Kid’s hands didn’t burn afterwards.

“So it’s temporary…” the Grim Reaper whispered to himself. So far he had only held Liz and Patty briefly when Kid had to tuck them in his pockets when they transformed into their Weapons forms. The contact was brief, a desire from both parties to avoid any painful results such as what happened back in the van, or unforeseen consequences because of Kid’s newly revealed Grim Reaper nature. Kid had been more worried of the later because he knew his soul -and by extension, his Soul Wavelength- was different now, but he had little clue how that change affected his ability to wield Weapons.

It was good to see some things remain the same.

“Aw…” Marie pouted at the intact lock.

“Sorry,” Kid began.

“Don’t worry about it,” Azusa said in an even voice. “Thank you for keeping us up to date. “Anything we can help with? Any questions, any plans you’d like to share?”

“The closest thing I have to a strategy is to depose Theodore as Head of the Academy.”

“How?”

"The Academy has a council, so I can get most of its members on my side, we should be able to stage a coup.” Kid crossed his hands. “It’s that or straight up go for his throat.”

“Last plan sounds much simpler,” Liz said. “Why not do that?”

“Because you’d be treating the symptoms, not the cause,” Stein spoke up. “Even if you manage to take out Theodore, you’d have to worry about his supporters turning violent, which could break apart the Academy.” Stein leant into the bars and stared at Kid. “Unless you plan on taking them out as well.”

The Grim Reaper looked away and frowned. “I think enough people die every day without my help.”

“About your plan with the Council…” Azusa began.

“I have no idea where to start. I either don’t know or know very little about the people here.” Kid crossed his hands and let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s hard enough keeping a straight face without having to face one of them who thinks a bear-head is appropriate headwear.”

"Bear-head…?" Marie interrupted. "Tezca is on the council?"

"Tezca?" Kid repeated. "Yes, that’s his name, Tezca Tlipoca. You know him?"

Spirit snorted. "Know him, he’s in charge of the Resistance!"

"You mean at the ritual when you-?"

"Yeah he orchestrated it,” Spirit said. “Guy was dead-set about not letting Theodore get more power through the Grim Reaper."

"That’s great news! I can talk to him-"

"Kid," Azusa interrupted him. "Be careful."

"Eh?" The others looked at Azusa in surprised, sans Stein and Spirit.

"I’ve known Tezca. He can be dangerous.” The woman’s eyes narrowed. “He doesn’t… have the brightest opinion on the Grim Reaper. Approach with caution."

Kid nodded. “Should I lie to him then? Pretend I’m-”

“Probably not a good idea,” Stein spoke up. “Tezca’s a smart man, even more when it comes to illusions. You won’t get far by lying to him, and the potential fallout when he learns the truth isn’t worth the risk.”

“…Right, I’ll keep it in mind.” Kid looked back, then up, his gaze unfocused. “There is one more thing I want to talk to you about with Mr Barret, Ms Naigus.”

The two people in question leant closer to their bars. Mira’s visible eye was frowning, while Sid’s face remained blank.

“Theodore is curious about your… situation, Mr Barret.” Kid grimaced. “We… talked about it and I may have lied and blamed the whole thing on Dr Stein.”

Spirit laughed out loud at that while Stein’s face fell. “Thanks.”

“Was it you?” Mira asked.

Kid resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Who else could it be?”

Sid let out a small laugh. “Fair enough.”

“Mr Barret, about your situation…” Kid hesitantly began. “If you’re not happy with it, I can-”

“No,” Sid quickly said. “…When I joined the Academy I made a promise to myself.” Sid looked down and clenched his fists. “I don’t break my promises. That’s not the kind of man I was.”

“Of course,” Kid replied. “To get back to what I was saying, I have convinced them you are loyal to me.”

Mira glanced at Sid then to Kid. “What do you want us to do?”

“I can reinstate you as head of the Academy’s Intelligence Division.”

The Meister and Weapon pair looked at each other.

“I can do it,” Sid eventually said. “It’s Mira I’m worried about.”

“Sid,” the woman began.

“I want to make sure nothing happens to her.”

“Why would something happen to her?”

“I’m in,” Mira insisted, giving Sid a pointed look before turning to look at Kid. “What do Sid and I need to do to be accepted?”

“Play along and fall in line. Pretend I’m… Theodore’s version of the Grim Reaper.”

“We can do that,” Mira replied.

“Renounce the resistance.”

“No problem,” Sid said.

“And trash-talk Dr Stein.”

Sid and Mira nodded without hesitation.

“Hey,” Stein weakly protested.

“That helps you with Theodore too,” Marie said encouragingly. “Now you’ll have a mole in the council.”

“Yeah…”

Mira raised her eyebrow. “You don’t sound too pleased about it.”

“Uh?” Kid said in surprise. “Um, no, I just.”

“It’s ok, I get it,” Mira reassured us. “You barely know us. But to think we’d betray you?” She let out a humourless laugh. “We’re in this way too deep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more plot is happening. Also, I’m legit laughing (and worried) at the Tories blowing a 20point lead and having to partner up with DUP of all parties, so ready for The Troubles 2: Electric Boogaloo :’)


	22. Scratch The Surface

“Glasgow may be seen as one of London’s rivals with its giant chimneys and sea of factories, but unlike London, with its palace and parliament, Glasgow only has the backs of workers it was built on. The industrial revolution never died here, and it needs more and more people to turn its cogs. I was fortunate enough to be raised in that big but miserable city. Many people were around me, but none knew I was a Weapon.

Until the police came knocking, brandishing shiny guns (the ones they never dare use on ‘civilians’) and I escaped with just me, my torn dress and a crinkled photo of my family. To this day, I still don’t know why exactly they rounded up all Weapons. Some folks say it’s because we’re the spawn of a witch, but I never met one in my life and my mum was an honest hard-working woman taken before her time by disease., so I say that’s a load of *unintelligible*.

I ran to the docks and used all the goodwill I had with the captains there to secure a trip to the lost colonies. There was only mad captain mad enough to take regular trips there, and he reassured me that he never visited the Northern part, but that he found a port on a long-lost colony of the Spanish, where the red clouds hadn’t gotten hold of yet and where people like me, Weapons, gathered. None knew any more than that, and none had dared travel further than the port town because of legends of red-eyed monsters and a government too weak to enforce its laws.

With no other choice, I embarked, and here I am now. Maybe we’ll speak to each other again. Probably not.

It is not an easy life, being a Weapon.”

Ellen McAllister, ‘ _Stories of Britain’_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Hi, I’m Patty!”

This was the first sound Liz heard when she entered the dilapidated building. The entrance led to a modest open space, furnished with old decaying couches and worn tables. A few people were gathered there, including a small group of girls Patty had just addressed.

Liz wrinkled her nose as she eyed the room, taking note of the damaged wallpaper. She walked by the stairs and peered into the rooms upstairs. From what little she could see they were cramped, with their doors to each room alarmingly close to one another.

“What the hell is this?” Liz muttered under her breath and scowled. She didn’t expect any luxuries but this place looked like some sort of ant nest.

Her words had caught the attention of one of the girls in the lobby. She was a diminutive girl, with her shoulder-length black hair tied into two stringy pigtails.

“What are you all looking at?” Liz scowled at the girl who jumped in shock.

“I’m Tsugumi Harudori, nice-to-meet-you!” The girl yelled in embarrassment and bowed.

Liz raised an eyebrow. “Liz. Ditto, I guess.” Her face morphed into a scowl again she refocused on the building's interior. “Damn it all,” Liz grumbled under her breath. “We’re important for this dump-”

“You are?” Tsugumi cut her off. “Are you famous or-?”

“Hell yeah!” Patty exclaimed who appeared seemingly out of nowhere with a huge smile on her face. “We’re the coolest Weapons around, ain't we sis?”

“You got that right, Patty.”

“And we got the coolest Meister too!”

Tsugumi frowned. “If you have a Meisters, why are you here?”

“Eh?” Liz turned her attention to Tsugumi. “What'd you mean?”

The girl withered under Liz’s gaze. “These rooms are f-for Weapons that don't have a Meister,” she said. “I assumed since you’re here…”

“Where do the Weapons with Meister go?” Liz cut her off.

“W-well a Weapon is supposed to move with the Meister that picks them…”

“Do they?” Liz absent-mindedly said, looking back up at the stairs. “Ah hell, maybe this ain’t too bad,” she grumbled to herself. “At least we’ll have some privacy this way.”

A boy with orange hair covering his face snorted at the statement.

“What’s so funny?” Liz growled at the boy who straightened up and began fiddling with his headphones.

“This place is actually very busy…” Tsugumi timidly began.

Liz scoffed. “I can tell, you guys are packed like sardines.”

Tsugumi rubbed her hands in discomfort. “Well there's that, and lots of Meisters come here to-”

The doors at the entrance swung open dramatically. A blonde boy wearing a half-open white shirt and garishly-patterned trousers walked through with a huge smile on her face. A distance away another figure headed through the entrance,

“Not this guy again,” a girl with short hair sitting on one of the couches muttered.

“Hello everyone!” the unknown boy announced and then looked around inquisitively as if he was on safari.

“Who’s this idiot?” Liz asked no one in particular.

“He calls himself Hero,” the girl from before said and faked a gag. “Comes here every two days or so.”

Liz frowned. “Why would he-?”

“You!” Hero pointed at Liz and was by her in an instant. “What are you?”

 “The girl who's gonna make you sterile if you don’t get out of my face five seconds from now.” Liz found herself taking a step back, only for Hero to take a step forwards.

“Aha!” Hero explained and leaned further in Liz’s personal space. “I see you're a lady of passion.”

“My only passion right now is to rip your balls and serve them with your fried di-”

“Would you like to become my Weapon?” Hero asked with stars in his eyes.

There was a pause.

“Heh,” Liz let out, her lip trembling. “Heh, heh.” Soon enough, Liz was caught up in a full-blown maniacal laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” A clueless Hero asked. He stared at her until a lightbulb went off in his head and his smile returned to its former glory. “Oh, is that a laugh of joy? Let me join in-”

“Cause you’re a moron,” Liz choked out between laughter, clutching her belly. She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. “I already got a Meister, idiot,”

“I’m no idiot!” Hero said and puffed his cheeks. “if you’re here, you must be in need of a Meister!”

“No and fuck you,” Liz said with a chuckle. She had nothing to worry about from this clown.

Hero looked at her, utterly confused. Then, a realisation. “Ah, I see,” he said, and placed a hand on his chin, in a gesture meant to be suave but had all the finesse of a toddler. “You’re playing hard to get. I can work with this…” His voice trailed off and he reached around Liz’s waist to pull her close.

Liz cut her laugh short and slapped Hero’s hand away. If the mocking tactic wouldn’t work, she’d have to do something drastic. “Patty,” she growled, her sister having noticed the commotion and standing to the side.

“Oh, do we get to play again sis?” Patty let out a dark chuckle as she transformed.

Liz grabbed hold of her and pointed her right between Hero’s eyes. Around her, people gasped and many took a step back. “Do you get what I’m trying to say now, genius?”

“Of course!” Hero said, the smile never leaving his face. “You and your sister are a pair. Don’t you worry, I can work with two of you!”

“Which part of back off does your tiny brain not get?” She waved Patty and pressed her barrel on Hero’s forehead, “Get the hell away before I shoot you!”

“Ah, I see you have a dark sense of humour as well and like to get physical.” Another childish gesture meant to be flirtatious. “Hmm, I could deal with that.”

Before Liz could response, Hero sauntered off towards the middle-aged woman, who looked around the dormitories with a clipboard and a sceptical face.

Liz looked at the retreating boy with a mix of shock and disbelief. “What the hell?”

The nameless girl from before walked up to Liz and let out a slow whistle. “Tough break, Hero’s got his sights on you.”

“What do I do to get rid of this clown?”

The girl shrugged. “Nothing. Just bear with him for a week or so. He either gets bored with his Weapon or finds a tiny flaw he can’t stand,” she nonchalantly said. “Pretty standard fair at this point. Reckon you can’t find someone who has friends or who themselves haven't been wielded by Hero there, including yours truly,” the girl said with a humourless smile and placed a hand on her chest. “Thanks for biting the bullet this week.”

“But we don’t wanna be his Weapons!” Patty let out and transformed into her human form, her lips pursed.

The girl shrugged again. “Tough break. What did you expect?”

Liz’s scowl deepened. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we're Weapons…” Tsugumi trailed off.

“I’m not following,” Liz said in a flat tone.

The nameless girl sighed. “Bo, you are a newbie If there is a stable connection and the Meister accepts, a Weapon doesn't have an input…” She glanced at Hero, who was doing his best to attract the large woman’s attention. The latter finally gave up and finally addressed the hyperactive boy. “They have to follow their Meister, die for them and all that crap.” The girl leant conspiratorially to Liz. “Pro-tip; if you don’t like your Meister, make yourself as much of an annoying bitch as possible. That way you can be Meister-free.” For the briefest of moments, her face fell and she looked at an empty seat on the couch.  “As long as you don’t end up with an asshole…”

Liz looked to where the girl had glanced before. The seat had a small dip in it, so it had been in use… wait, was that a dead flower under the seat?

“But we already have a Meister!” Patty protested.

Tsugumi frowned in confusion, while the other girl stared at the sisters with suspicion. “Really? Who?”

“E-each other!” Liz quickly said before Patty could answer. “Patty and I have identical forms, we don’t need a Meister.” To demonstrate her point, Liz and Patty quickly switched position, with Patty spinning Liz’s form with her trigger finger.

“But sis, that’s not what I-”

“Not now Patty,” Liz said with a strained tone. Patty frowned but didn’t speak up.

Tsugumi’s eyes glimmered with envy, while the other girl whistled in approval. “That’s so cool!”

Patty threw Liz in the air, and the older sister transformed back and adopted a confident pose. “Thank you, thank you, we’re here all day.”

While Tsugumi clapped at the performance, the other girl let out a sigh. “It’s not us who have to convince.” She tilted her head towards the oversized woman. “It’s Auntie. Or Misery, but she’s..” Next to her, Tsugumi shuddered, “weird. Auntie’s your best bet.”

Liz looked over at the woman, who was still hounded by Hero. She looked official, so she must know even a tiny bit, about the sister’s situation. “I’ll handle her.”

“Ah,” Hero let out a content sigh when he saw Liz and Patty stomp their way to him and Auntie. “My Weapons arrive.”

“We ain’t your Weapons pal,” Liz cut him off and pushed him away, making sure he gave him her coldest glare.

Auntie frowned at the commotion and looked down on her clipboard. She flipped through the pages and glanced between them and the sisters. After a few seconds, her eyes settled on a page and her face paled. “Hero, stop.”

“Huh?” the boy asked.

Auntie took a deep breath. “These two already have a Meister.” She made sure to flip back the pages before Hero could take a peek at their contents.

“What are they doing here then?” Hero asked Auntie. When he realised the woman wasn’t about to say anything else, he turned to Liz with a scandalised expression. “Oh, my fair lady why do you still remain in this place? has your Meister mistreated you? Just tell me their name and I’ll-”

“Shut the fuck up-” Liz began.

“Hero, cut it out.” Maybe it was her size or age, but Auntie’s words had the silencing effect Liz’s never had.

“Miss Auntie!” Hero cried. “Surely you can’t expect me-!”

“Yes I do and I will,” the woman cut him off and rubbed her brow. “This is way above my pay grade…”

“Just give a name!”

“It's classified,” Auntie stated.

“I’ll challenge them-”

“I hope for your sake you never have to.” Auntie narrowed her eyes at the boy and Hero’s words died in his mouth. Pouting, he turned around, perhaps hoping to find another weapon, only to be regarded with an empty room.

“You two, come with me,” Auntie motioned to the two sisters as she headed for the building’s exit. The two Weapons followed her, eager for any excuse to get out of Hero’s vicinity. “We need to talk.”

With that, the trio left the building. Auntie eventually stopped in a small isolated cranny between the complexes, a small area obscured by an overgrown vine plant.

“How are you two settling in?” Auntie asked, her eyes trained on them.

“I’m making friends!” Patty exclaimed, which earned a half-hearted smile from the middle-aged lady.

“Don’t you have a better place than this dump?” Liz scoffed. “We ain't any old Weapons you know.”

“It's this place or the Grim Reaper’s private quarters,” Auntie stated, which shut Liz off. “Theodore choose the former.” Auntie looked up at the two. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”

Liz looked away and clicked her tongue. “Can’t believe I’m saying this but I’ll have to agree with the old man,” Sure she trusted Kid, but she didn’t trust him to the point of living in the same room together. “But I expect a private bathroom or I’m complaining.”

Auntie raised an eyebrow. “To whom?”

“My Meister,” Liz bluntly said ignoring the woman’s disbelieving stare. “Now excuse us,” she mocked and locked her hands with her sister, “Patty and I need to get our beauty rest.”

“Yeah, this day has been a doozy, lady,” Patty exclaimed as she followed Liz away and up the stairs.

Auntie watched the two girls leave and let out a silent sigh. She looked down on her clipboard, where countless names of various Meisters and Weapons were written. “You really don’t understand the rabbit hole you’ve fallen into, lassies...”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Constructs?” Kid asked. “I can create things?”

Kid was back in what he had taken up calling as a dreamscape, sitting cross-legged. Last time he hadn’t paid the area much attention, probably because of his panic. Not that there was much to see; the floor and ceiling, if such concepts existed in this place, were black, or at least obscured by the darkness that permeated the place. Most people would find that creepy beyond recognition, but to Kid it felt... safe. There was a security to be found in the darkness, a lack of disturbances that kept the place in balance. Or it would have had it not been for the glass-like structure a few meters away and obscured by the darkness. Kid could hear the screams but pointedly ignored them, instead choosing to look at the other person -or whatever they were- of the room.

The figure -Kid still wasn’t sure what to call them- towered over him, black and stretched as he remembered them. The mask, a jawless human skull, was still firmly attached to their form and by the way it stretched and morphed, Kid was tempted to think it was made of putty instead of bone. “Sure you can! Well, I’d say it's less about creating and more about constructing something via your power- hence the name. ” The figure leant forward, towards Kid. “A simple construct is when you’re using you Wavelength to create your cloak.”

Kid looked down at the only thing he wore when in the dreamscape. “I made this?”

“You must have, even if unconsciously.” The figure tilted their head. “What else did you think it was?”

“I didn’t give it much thought,” Kid admitted while playing with the rough torn-like hems, which twisted as if they had a mind of their own. “That’s part of me?”

“Essentially.”

Which meant he was technically naked.

Well.

“And it only appears when I’m… whatever state this is,” Kid continued, looking around. “I never made anything like that when I was awake.”

“Of course, silly. Manifesting something in the physical realm is quite harder.” The figure swayed and tilted their head. “Though are you sure about the last part? You really haven’t manifested your wavelength not even once?”

Kid thought back. There was this brief moment, after he had been awoken from the Ritual when his frustration with Theodore had manifested as cackling shadows….

“I think I did,” Kid mumbled, looking down in thought.

“Oh?” The figure leant in with interest.

Kid looked up at the figure. “I was… angry at the time. I think.”

“Strong emotions must have given you the necessary boost. Though, any such reaction would have been directed at someone or something…” the figure trailed off meaningfully.

“Does that mean I can create things when I’m awake?” Kid asked, eager to change the subject. The more of his powers he learned to control the better. He didn’t’ want another night where his chest hurt and his heart giving out and being revived repeatedly.

“And more!” The figure wobbled excitedly. “You can’t create life of course, but that hasn't been an issue with some”

“Eh?”

“Oh nothing, I just meant to say that sky's the limit!”

Kid gave the figure a slow nod. “How do I get started?”

“Hm… A clear mind and stubbornness. It won’t be easy, especially if you do to have an anchor.”

“An anchor?”

“A focus. Something that can channel your power,” the figure explained.

“How can I get one?”

“It varies… even humans use them. Do Witches still use wands or have they reverted back to their chants?”

Kid shook his head.

“Ah, so it was just a fad…”  the figure said. “But yes, back to our topic. You can use an anchor for more complicated designs. It can be anything, from a rock to a bracelet on your wrist. For now though, you should just focus on the simpler stuff.”

“I want to try it,” Kid said.

“Sure! First of all you’d need to focus. You need to relax and reach into your soul.”

Nodding, the Grim Reaper sat cross-legged, hands on his knees, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Kid stood like that for an indeterminate amount of time. He tried to focus within himself, empty his thoughts and all that, which Kid associated with mediation. It wasn’t working.

With a sigh, Kid stretched his neck and let his thoughts wonder. Maybe instinct would guide him.

He had traded the uncomfortable for the unknown. Not willingly per se, the decision had been made for him the moment that icy dagger broke his skin and carved his heart, but if Kid was made to choose he would much rather have the unfamiliarity than the pretence. Though...

There was a lurking fear nestled in the back of his mind, one that wouldn't - _couldn’t_ \- let go of the horrible visions he suffered that first night, one that repeated like a mad mantra that the loss of balance or symmetry was catastrophic -an old obsession which had only been amplified-, that failure was unacceptable and that Order had to be established-

Kid exhaled and brought his two hands together to his chest level, palms upturned.

Something hissed and Kid felt as if something was leaving his hands.

“Would you look at that…” came the figure’s low voice.

Kid cracked one eye open. A shifting sphere of the same dark substance found on his cloak was on his palm.

Kid’s guarded expression broke into an eager smile. “I did it.”

“Congratulations!” the figure said, looking between the orb and Kid in interest. “How do you feel?”

“Uh, fine?” Kid glanced at the figure but quickly looked back towards the orb and moved his hands along its circumference. “My arms feel a bit tingly I guess”

“I see…” the figure trailed off. “Good job!”

Kid eyed the sphere. He brought his hand closer and the sphere shrank. He young Grim Reaper frowned and slightly leant forward. He wanted to try something out.

He removed one of his hands, letting it rest on his side, and used the other one to control the sphere. It wobbled and parts of it melted off like wax, before Kid took a deep breath and refocused, causing it to become solid again.

Slowly, the sphere was flattened and the shadows solidified. The now flat structure fell on his hand, like a sheet.

Kid carefully held the newly-created cloth and gently stretched it out with both hands. It was rather small, roughly the size of a handkerchief in terms of dimensions. Its edges were less solid fading into a vaporous form that swayed with a non-existent wind.

Soon enough, Kid was able to manipulate the substance in various other ways -he almost mad a chain one time, but the links kept fusing with each other- as well as call up more of it. The more he called, the heavier his hands felt, so Kid kept the summoned amount to roughly a cup-size.

 “It’s easier that I thought,” Kid mused.

 “It’s going be harder in the mortal world,” the figure observed. They had been standing, or sitting, Kid wasn’t sure how their boy worked- on the side, silently watching over him. Their head tilted as Kid manipulated his Wavelength, but the skull mask’s expression remained blank.

Kid kept playing with the substance for a while. A highlight was when Kid and made a wheel and pushed it. It turned into a pile of slush shortly after leaving Kid’s hand but Kid was proud of it nonetheless.

“Did you hear that?” the figure asked without warning, looking around them.

“Huh?” Kid asked and lost his focus. The dark substance disappeared, fading away as if it was dust while Kid watched in disappointment.

The figure craned its neck and the two upper holes in their mask narrowed into slits. “I think it’s best if you wake up Kiddo. Be careful!”

“No wait-”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid found himself in bed, blearily rubbing his eyes with one hand. He slowly got out of bed and looked around in confusion.

There was a knock on his door.

Smoothing down his cloak and makings sure that his hair was in place, blasted asymmetrical lines included, Kid took a deep breath, adopted his poker face and opened the door.

A guard waited him, her head lowered with reverence. “Lord Death.”

Before Kid could speak the nameless guard stepped aside to reveal a whistling Patty and harangued Liz with an extreme case of bed-hair. “Your Weapons have already been assembled.”

Kid glanced at the sisters who had the same clueless look he mentally had. “What for?”

“I don’t know, Lord Death.” The guard kept her head low. “High Priest’s orders.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A timely update? Hurah!
> 
> Also, Hero’s character annoys me to no end so I hope that came across in this chapter.


	23. Don’t Go To The Light

They gather in what is colloquially known as ‘The Deadlands’ or ‘Las Tierras Muertas’ depending on your native tongue, a buffer zone between the Madness and the territories yet to be engulfed by it. There they stay -for no one in their group can _live_ \- in small pockets of decaying civilisation, moving further South as the Madness’s area of influence continues to grow. Those that cannot make the trip get left behind, yet their numbers only increase. In my, admittedly brief, stay I only saw groups come to join their doomed brethren from the South. No one came from the North.

They come in all shapes and sizes, men, women and, despairingly, children. Some look like descendants of the doomed settlers sent by the Great Empires (including my own homeland, the British Empire), others look native, many look like a mix between the two.

Their bodies are hidden, covered in all manners of cloths and veils, as if they are ashamed of their own existence. Their eyes, whenever visible, shun me. Those that can still move huddle away from me using as many limbs still available to them. ‘ _Los Vivos,’_ some whisper in my wake.

Do they have a purpose? Are their ephemeral lodgings an attempt at community? A last grasp at their fleeting humanity? Are they waiting for something?

They would not speak to me directly, so I could only listen. During the day, their conversations are surprisingly human; people look after their own, whether that be family or friend. The more hopeful ones even crack what sound like jokes, speaking quickly in their native tongues.

At night, the atmosphere changes. They cannot sleep, and those that stay outside chatter endlessly, teeth clacking, hinting of a Death-Priest with blasphemous plans, descendants of test subjects of an ancient Witch and a God who cannot stay dead.

Some seem more afraid of the latter and its implication than the Madness itself."

J. Brooks, _‘The Living Dead of North America’_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Liz was having an awful morning.

First of all, her back hurt. Her bed had been a glorified mattress on the floor, hard with age and tear which caused to twist and turn within the night. Secondly, her stomach protested loudly about the lack of food, with tied in nicely with her third point; her rude awakening.

Before the sun could even rise, Liz had been woken up by loud knocks on her door. Liz had gotten out of bed with the sole intention of chewing out whoever was inconsiderate enough to wake her up before she could get a full night’s rest before returning to her bed.

A person, a nameless goon for all Liz cared, had been standing right outside her door. Their face had been obscured by some sort of black smooth fabric, like a gender-neutral mourning widow's veil.  “Come with me. You are needed,” the intruder had said before turning his gaze away from them.

Liz’s face had morphed into a scowl, barely restraining herself from slamming the door at the guy’s -she assumed they were a dude because the voice was masculine- face. “What for?”

“Your Master requires you.”

Not quite sure how to respond to that, Liz had woken up Patty and the two followed the nameless goon who had later instructed her to follow another guard, which they had done. At that point, Liz had thought that Kid wanted to talk to them and had set it up in the most awkward and inconvenient way possible. It was with that in mind that Liz had been about to go off on Kid the moment the guard was out of hearing range until the door opened and Kid had thrown a quick confused glance at their direction.

Liz had felt her stomach drop at that point. Now, sitting among a bunch of other strangers -some of them unwashed judging by a pungent odour intensified by the humidity and heat- she could confirm her suspicions; they were being carted off somewhere. Liz didn’t know where, but to bring her and Patty along meant they expected resistance.

Great.

“Sis,” Patty nudged her. The younger Thompson was squished between Liz and a man built like a wardrobe. “Where are we going?”

“I don’t know Patty.” Things looked bleak but she wasn’t about to say that to her little sister. Instead, she lopped her hand around her sister’s shoulder in a protective grip and gave small glares at the people around her.

“Hey.”

Liz glared at the person who had dared interrupt her much-deserved sulking time. It was a young man standing opposite to them, roughly Liz’s age and with dark skin. He had a handsome face, in Liz’s opinion, black dreadlocked hair, dark brown eyes covered with wide-framed glasses, the beginnings of laugh lines. Two young children of ambiguous gender, blonde, blue-eyed and dark-skinned, sat next to him.

“What?” Liz’s tone could sour milk.

“You’re new here,” the boy casually said, ignoring Liz’s unpleasant grimace. “I’m Kilik”

“Liz,” the older Thompson said through gritted teeth. She’d already had her fill of overeager boys with that blonde-hired clown yesterday. “So what?”

“Are you a Meister?” Kilik asked, looking between her and Patty. “Or are you a Demon Weapon-?”

“Death’s Weapon,” Liz cut him off. She got a perverse satisfaction from watching his befuddled and mildly disturbed expression. It was with greater satisfaction that she noticed everyone else in the truck also went quiet and avoided her gaze.

Good. That meant Liz could now finally get some peace and quiet.

… Her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten any breakfast, and didn’t look like she was about to do so anytime soon. It was fine though. They wouldn’t starve her, or her sister. Everything was fine unless that _other_ hunger showed up-

Liz bit her tongue hard. She was thinking nonsense, probably mulling over what Joe had said to her earlier. The man was talking out of his ass though. Liz knew herself. She had eaten souls, but they gave her strength. She didn’t allow them to drive her mad, she was stronger than that. Even then, if they did cause her some sort of trouble, Liz would deal with it herself, not run scared to Kid, Grim Reaper or not. She didn’t mind using Kid’s position to ensure her sister’s safety, but Liz took care of her own problems.

Ultimately, she could only trust herself.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid was sitting in a rather cramped space that smelled of old boots and motor oil. The space shook every now and then, and Kid found himself unintendedly swaying in sync with the vehicle each time it passed over a particularly rough patch of terrain. The back end of the camouflaged vehicle was separated from the front seats, where Kid sensed two souls were. The only other person with Kid was Theodore, who was sitting across of Kid.

It was just the two of them in the back of a jeep.

…It was a rather silent and awkward ride.

Currently, Kid was staring at nothing. Theodore’s gaze was on him now and then, but the High Priest had been surprisingly quiet for the duration of the ride.

Not that Kid knew the man well. The few times he interacted with Theodore were few and short. Disregarding the duration in which Kid was held captive, Theodore regarded the Grim Reaper with formality and a detached interest. The few times he would speak would be to remind Kid of plans, meetings, or inquire about his health, all of which required brief meaningless answers. They had never… talked.

Not that Kid felt any need to do so anytime soon. His only desire was to find out what exactly was going on. From the way he had been abruptly woken up, escorted to a military-style truck and the small gaggle of souls following after them on another truck, Kid could guess they were going somewhere related to Kid’s… nature. He had little clue as to where and for what exact reason, and was tempted to ask. Theodore had only told him the bare bones, that they were heading towards the border and Kid’s help was instrumental into what would happen. Kid felt he was owed a better explanation. Well actually, Kid felt as if he was and had been owed many explanations, but that was hardly a conversation he was willing to have here and now.

He glanced at Theodore. The High Priest was looking away. His right hand reached into his inner robes and he seemed to be fiddling with something.

Kid suppressed a frown. Theodore did not _fiddle_.

With a sigh, the High Priest looked up and their eyes met.  As if struck by lightning, Theodore dropped his hand, straightened his back and cleared his throat. Kid didn’t react, as was expected of him because of his detached and expressionless persona. He did look away though, not wanting to come across as expecting Theodore to talk.

"Lord Death."

‘ _Too late_ ,’ Kid thought to himself.

With a medium degree of reverence, Theodore reached into a small black box under the makeshift benches they were sitting on and withdrew it. “Pardon the last moment nature of this affair, but I felt you should have this.” He opened the box withdrew a single object and presented it to the Grim Reaper.

Initially, Kid thought Theodore handed him an actual jawless human skull, but upon closer inspection turned out to be a mask. The fact that Kid hadn’t been particularly surprised by the former, spoke volumes at how topsy-turvy the world had become lately.

Kid took the item and frowned. "A mask?"

“I believe it is rather premature for the public to see you in your current form," Theodore said in a low voice. "That should happen at least after…"

"I've regained more of my power," Kid finished with a sigh. "Alright."

Kid held the mask with both hands and turned it around, revealing a smooth crevice where his face was supposed to go. He wasn’t sure if this was real bone and wasn’t particularly keen on finding out. He also held back on asking if the object was anything close to hygienic.

From the corner of his eye, Kid saw a small string protrude from Theodore’s robes. Eager to change the conversation and put the skull mask aside, he gestured at the object. “What is that?”

From the way Theodore’s eyes temporarily widened, and his hand instinctively hovered over the area, he did not expect or even wanted to be asked about this object. It was with great reluctance that Theodore looked down and withdrew a small object from within his clothes.

It was a small cloth pouch, barely bigger than a child’s fist. It was held closed by a string. One end was bare, the same end Kid had seen. On the other end, two plain rings were tied together, the metal rusted from age. An old yellowed photo was sewn on its side.

"This is what remains of my wife."

Kid barely managed to stop his expression from dropping just in time. Dead relatives were never a good subject of discussion.

Hesitantly, Theodore handed the pouch to the Grim Reaper. Kid made sure to handle the pouch with utmost care. He was dealing with sensitive material.

From what Kid could feel, what little remained of Theodore’s wife were teeth and perhaps a bone fragment or two. The photo was old and bleached by time. Kid could barely make out a head covered in thick dark curls, dark eyes with a downward slant and a big thick-lipped smile. The rest of the photo was mostly an indistinct mess of white beige and light red. Kid tried not to focus on the asymmetrical stitches because that would be rude and rather disrespectful. They still bothered him though.

"She looks... nice," Kid said, at a loss at what else to say and looking away from the asymmetrical stitches. All he had to go on the woman was a faded photograph.

Theodore stared at the picture and gave it a rueful smile. "She was. She… also had great faith in you.”

Kid nodded at the information. He wasn’t surprised Theodore’s wife shared beliefs with her husband.  Though she looked pleasant in the photo, the thought of having to deal with two of the High Priest made Kid’s stomach lurch.

“Though she and I had our differences in that respect,” Theodore continued, still staring at the old photograph.

“Differences?” Kid asked, seizing the opportunity to learn more about the Academy’s notions about Death.

It was another worry Kid had, though one Kid had looked over in favour with mastering his powers and plotting a coup. For a sizable portion of people, the Grim Reaper wasn’t simply death personified. To them, Death was a God, with all the expectations and complications that came with the concept. Putting aside what defined a God and to what extent each differing definition could be applied to the Grim Reaper -or any other of the Great Old Ones for that matter- Kid would have to figure out a way to deal with this specific subset of people. As long as Theodore was in power, Kid would have to maintain a careful balance with what was expected of the Grim Reaper by the High Priest, versus Kid’s own morals. After that… even in the best-case scenario where Theodore was deposed with minimum bloodshed, Kid would then have an ‘image’ to worry about. It was probable Theodore wasn’t the only one who viewed Death as an austere, borderline-malevolent God. The more he knew about how the people saw Death the better.

Theodore took a few moments to answer. “There were different times then, milord. While you were held… captive by the Kishin, there always had been the hope of your return. After your fight with the Kishin, there was chaos about the Academy’s direction.” Theodore’s eyes darkened. “We had lost some of our strongest, who either had had their souls eaten by the Kishin’s forces or had fled like cowards.”

At this, Kid’s face briefly turned into a grimace, knowing full well Theodore was referring to Marie, Azusa and Spirit -and maybe Stein. Kid had lived with the women a long time, he knew they were plagued by nightmares and that they had fled for his and Maka’s sake. In Kid’s mind, the three Deathscythes had a special kind of bravery to tough it out and remain in obscurity than return to a place that wouldn’t welcome them. Kid had an inkling about what had happened at those who did return from that disastrous night.

“People did not know what to do,” Theodore continued, and his expression turned bitter. “Some even went as far as to abandon the Academy, fleeing into the night. Of us that remained, we were at a loss about your situation milord.” His face softened in recollection. “My late wife, Ana, was of that opinion that there would be a miracle of some kind and you would return to us, even if weakened. But the years passed and…”

‘ _And I was too busy growing up_ ,’ Kid thought. Kid began to empathise with Ana. If only she had been in charge.

“It became obvious that we would have to be proactive in seeking you out.” Theodore glanced at Kid and have him a redundant half-bow. “And I couldn’t be more glad of our success and your return, milord. I’m sure Ana would be as well. We used to rule together after all.”

That took Kid aback. “You did?”

“Indeed. I dealt with the Meisters, while Ana dealt with the Weapons, strangely enough. One would think it’d be more suitable the other way around but it was a system that worked.” At this point, Theodore was talking more to himself than to the Grim Reaper. “Ana always had been rather lenient with Weapons.”

Kid listened carefully to the High Priest. The man appeared to be wistful and for a moment Kid wondered what had happened to his wife. Judging by Theodore’s age… Kid hoped the woman had perished because of time and not because…

Theodore’s face soured. "Her soul was eaten a decade ago. If she was still alive, we’d have our 47th anniversary a few months from now."

Ouch.

"And I was…" Theodore sighed and cleared his throat in discomfort. "Ah never mind. Pardon my chattering milord. Ramblings of an old fool…” He looked towards the front of the car while Kid remained motionless and quiet. “We should be arriving soon.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Their rest of their journey was spent in silence. Kid had leant back and occasionally fiddled with the skull mask on his lap, his gaze blank. Theodore was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his gaze fixed to the floor.

The ride went on like that for a while. Boring. Uneventful.

Until Kid sensed _it_.

It came without warning, as if Kid had been zapped by something. As if there was if there was a radius of influence and Kid had stepped right in it. Kid’s heart ached, his stomach lurched. His Soul Perception was involuntarily activated and Kid saw the source of _it_.

Souls. Old souls, pale souls, lost souls.

“The dead,” the Grim Reaper let out, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes, though wide, remained focused on the floor. Kid’s usual sight was useless. He was completely focused on his Soul Perception, where a sea of souls that should have long ago been out to rest lingered in the distance.

The jeep eventually stopped. Kid was escorted outside, moving mechanically. Theodore stuck by his side and once reached out to steady Kid who had completely ignored the jeep’s raised elevation and almost toppled to the floor. He had also reminded Kid of the mask; the Grim Reaper wore it with little acknowledgement.

The jeeps stopped in front of a row of tents. Kid sensed more souls gathered there, living ones. The dead ones were a distance away, obscured from sight by the large white cloth structures. From them, a familiar face -or guise more accurately- appeared. Tezca.

The Deathscythe walked up to a nearby wiry woman who was overseeing the Meisters and Weapons exiting the second jeep. The Deathscythe stopped in front of the vehicles, hands akimbo. “What’s this?”

The woman jumped in surprise when she realised Tezca approached her and snapped to attention. “Meisters and weapons, sir!”

If bear heads could frown, the way Tezca inclined his head covering clearly suggested it was doing so. “I told you none were needed. We can settle this peacefully.”

The woman gulped. “N-Not my call sir!” Her eyes scanned the area, firmly landing on Theodore and the Grim Reaper. Tezca followed her gaze and finally walked towards the two.

With a wave of relief, the unnamed woman scurried off leaving Theodore staring at Tezca, a gesture which was probably reciprocated by the Deathscythe.

“Lord Death,” Tezca respectfully bowed his head, his tone even. “Theodore.”

“What seems to be the problem?” Theodore asked, in a tone clearly implying there shouldn’t be one.

“Who decided to bring a strike team?”

“I did,” Theodore said self-assuredly. “Clearly you neglected to do so.”

It was a good thing Tezca wore a bear head because Kid could picture the Deathscythe’s grimace by the way his hands pressed on his waist.

“And from whom exactly are you going to need defending from?” Tezca asked. “These areas are safe. The Kishin’s forces have no sway here.” The ‘ _yet’_ part was implied.

“This has not stopped stragglers from marching in such areas, as you very well know,” Theodore shot back. “And besides, they will be useful in case any of these so-called _colonists_ ,” Theodore spat the last words, “try anything.”

Tezca tilted his head to the side. “Tries anything? What are they going to do, rot at you? Do you have any idea how long it took me to convince them for us to come over?”

“They shouldn’t need to be convinced-!”

While the two continued arguing, Kid spied the two sisters disembarking from the jeep, followed by a muscled boy with two twins following after him. Liz’s expression as displeasure personified, whereas Patty looked around with nary a care in the world.

Liz flinched when she saw Kid and the boy couldn’t blame her; he could only guess how he looked with the mask on. These thoughts were gone as soon as they arrived though, the pale souls over the tents were so _distracting_ -

“So the rumours were true,” said a feminine gravelly voice.

The voice belonged to a short and stout woman. Her eyes were a milky blue, and the only part of her visible. The rest was covered in dirty old bandages and a multitude of mismatched moth-eaten clothes. All those things weren’t important though.

Her soul was a sickly blue, like those beyond the small sea of white tents.

Theodore and Tezca stopped their short squabble and turned to look at the woman.

Theodore drew himself at full-height, looking down on the woman. “And you are?”

“Mary,” the woman simply said, hands behind her back. “But some saw fit to nickname me Leader, for obvious reasons. It’s stuck.”

“You are in charge of these people then?”

“I oversee our activities, yes,” Mary said with a small nod. “Have been doing so for a long time.”

“Evidently,” Theodore said with a raised eyebrow at her old clothing. “Let us be civilised. In earlier years, your presence had been tolerated.” His eyes narrowed. “Now though…”

The woman’s visible eyes narrowed in a frown. “I see.” She sighed and looked at Tezca. “When you called me, I thought the heat had gotten to you.”

“Nothing so simple,” the Deathscythe said with a shake of his head.

“Can I see them?” Mary asked, her voice blank. “Death?”

Kid was startled into attention when he heard his name -well, sort of name. So far, he had been hidden from view by Tezca and Theodore’s collective figures. The jeep was on his back and a couple of Meisters on his free side.

The High Priest folded his hands in displeasure. Kid sighed and took a step forward.

“It’s fine,” Kid said, causing Theodore to step aside and bring the woman into full view. Kid realised she was about his height.

When Mary saw the Grim Reaper, she briefly grimaced and looked away.

“Hello,” Kid said, trying his hardest to keep his voice neutral. It wasn’t that the woman annoyed him in some manner. From what little Kid had seen and heard of her, Mary appeared to be a perfectly normal if a bit admirable individual. Yet…

It was as if Kid was seeing in dimensions that shouldn’t exist, in colours that shouldn’t be possible. Mary should have died long ago. Her soul was pale, had been so for some time, and it was _wrong_ -

From inside his mask, Kid averted his gaze. That did little in terms of his Soul Perception, which stayed stubbornly activated.

“Hello,” Mary replied in an even tone. Her gaze skirted at the edges of the mask. If she had any comments about the Grim Reaper’s appearance, she didn’t voice them. “No wonder we don’t have people joining us anymore.” Mary let out a bitter chuckle and looked away into the distance. “People can die again.”

Kid frowned from inside his mask. He wanted to talk with the woman, earnestly as much as could be, but this wasn’t about to happen when surrounded by the Academy’s minions and Kid looking like something out of a B-horror movie. If only he found an excuse to be alone and even remove the mask…

“May we speak in private?”

Mary gave the two a mildly surmised look but quickly nodded. “Of course, Death”

Using his still active Soul Perception and ignoring the woman’s blue-grey soul, Kid pinpointed an empty tent nearby and headed towards it, with Mary in tow.

Theodore also followed them, entering the tent after the Grim Reaper but before Mary.

The old woman gave him a dry look. “I thought we’d talk in private.”

Theodore gave her a barely-concealed scornful look. “You will be. As High Priest, it is my responsibility to follow after milord,” the man said and Kid couldn’t bring himself to go against him. Kid was already planning n testing Theodore’s goodwill towards the Grim Reaper and the more approval from the old man Kid had, the better.

The tent was empty of people, having only some sparse furniture and one of two minor equipment on one of its corners. There was a square wooden table with a couple of chairs strewn here and there. An empty folded-up bed was on the far corner of the tent.

Kid sat on one chair, Mary on the other. Theodore stayed upright, standing behind the Grim Reaper.

Kid made a motion to remove the mask. Theodore coughed.

It was a good thing Kid hadn’t removed the mask yet because the glare he sent the man could wilt flowers. “Is there a problem?”

“I maintain the opinion that it is premature to venture out without cover, milord. The people,”

“Will be put to rest by dusk,” Kid cut him off. “If it pacifies you, I plan on remaining inside this tent.”

Theodore did look pacified enough, for he gave the Grim Reaper a short bow. “As you wish, milord.”

Kid removed the mask and took a deep breath. The mask had become too warm, to the point of unbearable.

At the gesture, Mary briefly glanced at Kid’s face, and then looked everywhere but the Grim Reaper’s eyes.

“How many?” Kid began, at a loss of what else to ask.

“We don’t keep a head count, but I’d wager five hundred or so,” Mary replied in a cool tone. “We’re one of the bigger communities.”

Kid nodded at the information and bit the inside of his lip. These were a lot of souls…

“I don’t believe we’ll encounter any resistance?” Theodore pointedly asked.

The woman ruefully shook her head. “Of the few of us that still have the strength to fight, none have any inkling to. They wouldn’t come here if they still had that spark of life.”

“Why is that?” Kid asked, taking both humans aback.

The woman fiddled with her bandages. “Most wounds can be covered, hidden from polite company. However, it’s not just the body that breaks apart…” Her soul gave a slight thrum, like a fish out of water. Kid had to painfully clamp one hand over another to preventer reaching out for it. “I’m guessing you’d figured out why he headed as north as we could without venturing into the Kishin’s territory.”

Kid glanced at Theodore.

“Only tales, one taller than another, as far as I’m aware,” the High Priest said with narrowed eyes. “Nothing concrete.”

“Oh. I suppose that’s fair enough. Our people,” she stared at Theodore, “never had the need to interact at all.” Mary tapped her finger on the table, looking away, self-conscious. “It was a silly thing. When the first Grave Colonists came to be, they weren’t very happy with their… condition. They wanted to find a solution.” She let out a long sigh. “Those with some guts and an equal amount of stupidity ventured into the Kishin territory, in hopes of crossing path with Death or what remained of them... uh, no offence.”

Kid inclined his head for the woman to continue.

“Their bravest, or stupidest depending on one’s point of view, planned a course directly for the Nevada desert basin.” Mary shook her head, lost in memories. “Needless to say, none returned.”

Kid was listening to Mary intermittently. The Grim Reaper’s attention kept being diverted to Mary’s soul, a blue orb so pale and dull to the point of looking grey. It was so close to him that if he leaned in and extended his arm he could grasp it…

Kid bit down on his tongue hard and suppressed a grimace. His nails dug in his hands.

“After that, some were disheartened and returned to where they came from, hoping they could still be part of society,” Mary continued, oblivious to the Grim Reaper’s struggle. “Then there are those that stayed. I was one of them.” She let out a long redundant breath. “I suppose we were the most desperate among the factions. We couldn’t go back, but we had enough self-preservation in us not to enter Madness-controlled lands. So, we stayed at the very edge. Hoping.”

“For what?” the Grim Reaper asked. His voice came out quiet, since most Kid’s faculties were focusing on keeping him in place while another rebellious part tried to do the exact opposite.

Mary hesitated. The Grave colonist looked down on her moth-eaten clothes and dirty bandages and then at Kid -never in the eyes, always skittering just to other parts of his face. “I’m not sure anymore.”

Theodore, who up to this point had crossed his arms and had been listening to Mary’s tale with impatience, took a step forward, bringing himself right next to the Grim Reaper. “Clearly, you recognised your aberrant nature and sought to correct it. Admirable, and now your wishes of our Lord’s return have been fulfilled,” Theodore said and it was Kid’s turn to feel self-conscious. “Yet,” the High Priest ‘s eyes narrowed, “you don’t look very eager.”

Mary had no issue looking at Theodore in the eyes and giving him a small shrug. “It’s been this way for sixteen years now. Some people have gotten used to how things have become. This life has become routine to them.”

“Any pain can be withstood if it lasts long enough,” Theodore replied, his gaze darkening.

Mary gave the High Priest an understanding look. “Anyways, back to what we were talking about. You don’t need to worry about anyone doing anything stupid, as you so succinctly said before,” Mary said with a sad smile. “I’ve informed the other heads. They’re gathering the people. All who wished to leave have already left-”

“Left?” Theodore said with a scandalised expression. “You allowed _desertion_?”

“It’s not like I could wrestle them into submission you know.” She waved a skeleton-like hand. “These limbs are barely held together.”

“One would ask then, what kind of leader can’t control their own people.”

Mary looked as if she had a good deal to say about her leadership skills but held back on any biting remarks. “Being part of our group was always voluntary and anyone could leave whenevr they wished,” she said, her eyes downcast. “It’s not safe here, so close to the border…”

“Have you been attacked?” Kid asked.

Mary shrugged. “A couple of times. It’s usually a one-man/woman/what-have-you group. They usually manage to get a few of us before we fled into the wilderness. Good thing we don’t need to sleep anymore.”

“Fascinating,” Theodore drawled. “Now, I believe you are responsible for organising your people?”

“One more thing,” Mary said as she gathered any newly-loose bandaged close to her. She gingerly stood up and look at the Grim Reaper, this time focusing on his hair. “Even if we were stuck, our bodies could decay. Many of us… lost their bodies permanently. We call them -or used to call them I guess- Fallen. The ones with the ability to see souls gather the Fallen ones we keep them safe, away from Soul Eaters any other that wished harm on them. Ever since your um… revival,” Mary respectfully cleared her throat cleared her throat, “most of the souls have passed over in the last week. However, there are a couple that remain.”

Kid nodded at the information. Slowly the realisation that he would have to put hundreds of souls to rest came to him like an approaching thunderstorm, where Kid only had a dinky umbrella with no cover in sight. 

Well, he was a Grim Reaper. He should know how to do this, Kid would simply have to rely on instinct.

…Which was a better way to phrase what he was about to do, when the only other way he could phrase it was say ‘wing it.’

 “I’ll see to them,” Kid replied in a low tone.

Mary looked as if she wanted to say more, but simply inclined her head. “Very well. That is all.”

Kid reciprocated the gesture but otherwise stayed silent. What more could he say? ‘Thank you for allowing me to put you to rest?’

“Thank you,” the Grim Reaper eventually said, “for your cooperation.” Suddenly, the prospect of hiding his face with a mask didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Mary gave the Grim Reaper a confused glance before turning to the High Priest. “I’ll go inform the others.” She turned around and left the tent.

“I will see they don’t come to any _other_ decisions,” Theodore muttered and hurried after the woman.

Kid mutely nodded and let the High Priest depart.

When Kid was alone in the tent, he buried his head in his hands and let out a shuddering breath.

Kid could do this. He knew he could do this. It was like breathing, or swimming by doggy-paddling. It would come naturally. Kid knew it, he could feel it in his now-restless soul. Yet, the _fear_ of failure hung over his neck like a well-polished guillotine.

…There would have to be no distractions, no opportunities for things to go wrong, for _chaos_ to reign. Kid would have to focus He would have to make sure that everything was in _order_. Kid would fulfil his duty as the Grim Reaper and finally put the long-suffering souls to rest.

_Precisely and perfectly._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a bazillion chapters after the reveal, Kid is about to do some reaping! Also, I shamelessly stole the concept Tomb-Colonies from ‘Sunless Sea’ (btw that game’s atmosphere is all I want from a story, highly recommend you play it if you’re a fan of horror or weird fiction in general).


	24. The Walls Keep Closing In

It was a shame I never got to visit the Grave Colonies. They were told to be strange communities. I will never know how true such statements are. All I have to go on is secondary sources; a few scant texts that have them as footnotes or minor details. Only one published book made an adequate mention of them and even it devoted a dreadfully short length about the Grave Colonies, and treated them like any other undead creature.

Though it is said most of their works are being kept by the Academy, I have not yet been able to confirm such rumours. A crying shame, in my humble opinion as a folklore enthusiast.

Their culture, young yet so old and weary. Their people, all different yet alike in their fate. By some counts inhuman, yet what is more human than a tight-knit community formed in adverse conditions?

So many questions, so many unique perspectives…

And all of it gone, like dust in the wind. Like a bundle of candles, each one snuffed, leaving the world just a bit lonelier, just a bit darker.

I suppose that was a fitting end for the Grave Colonies.

Mukta Chalaka,  _ Diary of a Traveller. _

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

“Ugh this place gives me the creeps,” Liz said with a shudder.

Shortly after Kid Theodore and some other creepy woman went into the tent, she had followed close after. The man in a bear-head had given her the stuffed-head equivalent of a sideways glance, but Liz ignored him. After all, Kid was her Meister.

She had waited until the bandaged woman and Theodore left and barged into the tent. Kid had been standing in a lonely chair. He had removed his mask, which was a positive because it looked gross and spooky, and was staring blankly at the tent’s exit.

…Come to think about it, Kid had been doing a lot of blank-eyes staring ever since they arrived in this place.

“Hey, what the hell’s going on?” The older Thompson asked Kid. “Why’d we stop in the middle of nowhere?”

“This is a Grave colony.” The Grim Reaper didn’t look at her when he spoke.

Liz paused. She had heard about the Grave colonies in an abstract sort of way, like tales told by sea-hardened sailors. They were groups of people that should have died, people whose bodies grew too frail, whose bodies were irreversibly damaged, yet whose souls stubbornly remained connected with their bodies. There were no grave colonies in New York or anywhere within the Kishin’s reign, for obvious reasons. In New York in particular, there was the Pit where the remains and souls of people that had miraculously avoided being eaten were thrown to be consumed by rats and their soul-eating equivalent.

The implications of a Grave colony with Kid’s nature became obvious to Liz. “So you’ll have to…?”

“Yes,” Kid warily said. “So if you could please be quiet and out of sight while…”

Liz raised her hands in defence. “Won’t even know I’m here.”

“Yeah, we’ll be as quiet as a bat!” Patty said in a loud whisper. After that she reconsidered, let out a small pout and nudged the older Thompson. “Sis, are you sure you wanna stay? Ol’ Patty’s gonna be just fine, but it’s gonna be spooky…”

Liz gave her sister a reassuring nod.

Truth to be told, she had guessed Kid would do something like that sooner than later. Though Liz was spooked by the concept of putting souls to rest; she always had an irrational phobia at the supernatural, which was positively stupid considering what she had to deal with daily, one she never managed to fully get under control. She could hide her fear behind leers and scowls, but it still made her blood ran cold, her eyes widen and her stomach growl with-

_ Ahem _ . Bad thoughts. Not now. She’d deal with that  _ later _ .

All in all, though she had doubts about staying in, at least here she and Patty would be away from the rest of the Academy’s people. She didn’t trust anyone else from the Academy as far as she could throw them,

“Milord, I am happy  to report the Grave Colonists are staying true to their words- what are you two doing inside?!” Speak of the Devil. The High Priest had just entered the tent.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Liz crossed her arms. “We’re his  _ Weapons _ . What’s your deal?”

Theodore looked to be torn about appearing scandalised or simply furious. “You insolent girl, I am the High Priest-!”

“If you’re going to fight, could I ask you to do this outside?” Kid testily said, his voice eerily quiet. He was staring at neither of them, a good thing in Liz’s opinion because his narrowed eyes had a dangerous glint to them. “I’d rather do this privately.”

“Of course, Lord Death.” Though Theodore’s tone was respectful, the scornful look he threw at the two sisters definitely wasn’t. Nevertheless, the man obeyed and stepped out of the tent, Liz and Patty following after him. Liz exited with a huff and a glare at Theodore who stood by the entrance and scanned the crowds. Feeling a bit rebellious, Liz stood right by the other side of the entrance, keeping in line with the loyal guard dog persona she entertained as Death’s Weapon. Patty stayed by her side during the entire process, though Liz made sure she shielded her from most of Theodore’s baleful looks.

After a few minutes of volley-balling glares, Theodore’s presence was needed for some reason Liz couldn’t be bothered to figure out. Theodore had given her a death glare as he left the tent’s side, and Liz barely resisted the urge to cuss at him. She had a pretty good idea why Theodore singled she and her sister in terms of scorn. He was probably jealous the sisters got to work closely with the high-and-mighty Grim Reaper when they were unworthy or some other weird shit like that.

Whatever. Theodore didn’t know them and if Liz had a say in this, would get to know them any better without a bullet to the skull.

Time passed. Eventfully, the two sisters resigned to sitting on the ground cross-legged. Few people stayed outside. The small battalion of Meisters and Weapons she had met in the jeep had returned to their vehicle. In the distance, the sun rose with a mad chuckle. Patty bent down on the ground and toyed with a stray ant and any other unfortunate insect that came her way.

It was about an hour after that anything close to interesting happened. The people around their tent had grown thin. The area became devoid of noise, of life.

The only movement came a horde of people coming from the South. They moved quietly, like ghosts. Bandages, veils, and all sorts of coverings hung from over their skeleton-thin bodies. Quite a few were missing limbs. Some had to be carried by others.

This was the case for the very first person leading the sea of Grave Colonists.

They -any gender signifier had been long-eaten by time- tittered on a pair of spindly legs. Their bandages were yellowed and crusty and sagged at their waist which had a skeleton-like thinness to it. Their form twisted with bones uncomfortably protruding in unseemly ways. Yet despite their deformities, the person held a lively gait, almost sprinting towards their tent.

The Grave Colonists leading the crowd completely ignored Liz and Patty. They did stop once they were inches away from the tent's entrance, their eyes, barely visible beneath layers of bandages, transfixed.

A squaring of disjointed shoulders, an airy laugh, a small step, and they were gone from sight, venturing inside the tent.

No more followed the Grave Colonists inside the tent. Instead, there were murmurs and whispers, as the rest of the Colonies formed an orderly queue outside the tent’s entrance. Liz didn’t know whether to be horrified or amused.

A bandaged woman gave them a friendly worm-filled smile and a jaunty wave.

“This is spooky…” Patty murmured but waved back at the unknown woman.

Liz brought Patty as close to her as would be physically possible without crushing her.

The murmurs died. The Colonists stood still. The air was pregnant with anticipation.

Then Liz  _ felt _ it. Her breath hitched. Her heart gave a painful clench and dread filled the inner reaches of her mind. Her breath came out foggy and she instinctively reached for Patty, who was looking at the area before her wide-eyed. The Colonists must have also picked up on the feeling, though their reactions varied wildly; some stayed silent, others wept, a couple let out a whoop or a laugh.

“Patty?” Liz squeaked, hating how weak her voice sounded.

“I can feel it too sis!” the young girl whispered in awe. “That’s Kid, ain’t he?”

Liz however had another thing on her mind entirely.

Her blood ran cold. Her eyes were wide.

Her stomach growled with  _ hunger _ .

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Some were stony-faced. Some cried. Some looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here. An odd few had cheered. A couple glared. One peculiar middle-aged lady who smelled heavily of perfume with long white hair poking out from her bandages had given him a piece of candy and a pat on the head.

None of them made it out of the tent once they entered.

The process was the same, each time. First, they would enter, some with great anticipation, some with a little fear. Each one would lay on the bed, a small cot with single sheet on it. The Grim Reaper would sit in a chair next to it, hands on his lap. No words would be exchanged.

When they laid on the bed, the Grim Reaper would place his hand on their chest. Some flinched at the contact, in which he settled for hovering his hand over their body. Some grasped it and held it close.

There was no light. No decisive moment when their limbs thrashed, where they’d cling to life until they finally submitted. Instead...

Their heads would stoop. Their eyes would close. They would just… stop.

Their soul would be out to rest. Their body would finally become an empty husk, as it should have been long ago. For a brief second, the Grim Reaper could become Kid and would look over the empty body an unreadable expression on his face. But the moment would be gone in an instant and the process would continue.

The Reaping would take about a minute. That had not been true for one man who felt as if it was his duty to begin a philosophical debate with the Grim Reaper, in which  _ Kid _ had given him a tired half-hearted glare When the man realised he was fighting a lost battle, he had pouted but then had laid on the bed nonetheless.

Two people, usually Tezca and some other Weapon of Meister he’d roped into this, would come and take the body away. Because of their precise appearance and disappearance, the Grim Reaper hypothesised they employed the use of Soul Perception to see when their services were needed. He was glad for the gesture. Each time Tezca appeared, Kid felt the Deathscythe’s gaze bore into him. The Grim Reaper disregarded it. He had more important matters to attend to.

And then the whole process repeated. Again. Again. Again.

At some point the Grim Reaper must have entered some sort of trance because the faces became blurred, his motions mechanical.

Hours passed in a blur. His joints felt stiff. He felt no hunger or thirst. He coughed a couple of times, as if his lungs occasionally refused to work. None of these things bothered him.

The sun had set by the time the last person entered the door.

She entered with a sad smile, an expression he had seen many times before. He sensed no more grey souls outside the tent. She was the last one.

“This is it,” Mary said, and the Grim Reaper paused. Talking wasn’t part of the process.

“Are you the last one?” It had been hours since his spoke. Kid’s throat was dry.

The woman politely nodded. “I am -was- the head of everything here. I should be the last one to go among my people.”

Kid nodded. “And then there are…”

“The souls who won’t go,” she finished and sat by the bed. She didn’t lay, not yet. “Your High Priest has secured them. You should get to them after you’re done with me.”

She looked at the bed. Some of her bandages had been undone, revealing an eaten away cheek and a bony forehead. Her lips were a thin line. “There’s one more thing.” Another pause. “Our belongings. We… crafted things.” She fiddled with her bandages. More of them became undone, revealing skinless fingers with eaten-away sinew. “And uh… I’d be nice if they weren’t destroyed. Some people worked really hard on them.”

“I’m not sure what I can do about them.”

Her jaw moved with the sound of teeth gritting against one another. A small part of her lips had detached itself from her mouth and moved with them, “I feel  _ you _ should have them.”

He didn’t know how to respond.

Mary stretched her back. Vertebrae popped, one literally doing so and was caught by her bandages. “Ah, sorry for rambling. It’s been so long. It’s hard, saying goodbye.”

A lump in his throat. He looked up at her.

She finally met his eyes. “Thank you.”

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

When it was done, Liz and Patty weren’t standing by the tent. They hadn't for quite some time

Even before the first bandaged person had entered shovels had been handed. Graves had been dug. All of them had been used eventually. Liz had retreated from the tent with Patty, not wanting her sister to be forced into such a grim task. Instead, they had retreated to a secluded spot a few meters away from the jeep.

“Hey, Deathscythe.” Evidently not secluded enough.

Liz’s frown turned into a scowl as she regarded its speaker. “You again. And I’m not a Deathscythe.”

“We must have got off on the wrong foot,” the intruder said. “I’m Kilik, this is Fire,” he gestured to one of the identical twins, “and this is Thunder,” he gestured to the other twin. Already, Liz couldn’t be bothered to figure out which was which. “You’re Liz, right?”

The younger Thompson nodded with a wide smile. “And I’m Patty!”

“Cool!” Kilik reciprocated the smile and focused on Patty, who appeared to be the friendlier of the two. “So, you’re both Weapons, huh? You don’t see a lot of two-Weapon teams. I figured I’d never see a combo like me and the twins.”

While Patty listened to the boy and nodded along, Liz huffed and looked away. She’s been growing impatient and uneasy. The cold feeling from before hadn’t subsided one bit; quite the opposite, Liz felt it pass right through her bones and into lodge itself into her very soul.

If Kid was doing this on purpose, she’d have some colourful  _ words _ with him.

“What’s Death like?” Kilik asked out of the blue, and all of Liz’s thoughts halted to a stop.

Liz turned to look at him. “What?”

“Hey, just asked a question, no harm done!” Kilik raised both hands defensively. “I was just curious and all,” he said and rubbed his neck.

Liz gave him a long look, which the boy nervously reciprocated. “Fine.”

“You’ll answer my question then?”

“Already did. Said he’s fine,” Liz dryly said.

Kilik gave her a pout, which Liz ignored. After a few seconds the boy's pout turned into an understanding expression. “Oh, I get it! Top secret info, right?” He gave Liz a friendly nudge.

“Of sorts…” Whatever rude remarks Liz had to say died in her throat.

There was a commotion among the people. Liz saw Theodore approach the tent. A few seconds after Kid exited the tent wearing, that ghastly skull mask from before. The Grim Reaper said something brief to Theodore. The High Priest looked doubtful at first, but then bowed and left, barking orders at a stationary group of Meisters and Weapons. Dutifully, Liz and Patty stood up from their hiding place and headed toward Kid. Kilik didn't dare follow them.

When the sisters got close enough to the Grim Reaper Liz scanned her surroundings. When she was satisfied they wouldn't be overheard and Theodore wasn't within hearing distance, she leant towards Kid.

“Are we done here? I'm freaked out.” Her hand was inadvertently covering her stomach. Kid’s head turned to face her, and Liz felt him focus on the aforementioned appendage. She quickly withdrew it from its position and bit her lip.

Kid turned his head towards the horizon. “There is one more thing to do.” His voice was blank.

With that cryptic remark, Kid headed off for the land beyond the tents, where the Grave Colony was, or more accurately, used to be. Liz and Patty followed him, Liz eager to interact with the Academy staff as little as possible, while Patty just went along for the sake of it.

They walked for quite some time. Not an hour, but long enough for Liz’s legs to feel the slightest sting of exhaustion. Night had come. The earth was dry and scrunched under her feet, some dust being swept away by a low wind. All was strangely silent; there were chirping no insects, no animals roaming the grounds. The only living things in the area were diminutive bushes here and there, or, more rarely, a withered tree. Above her, the sky was starless and the bloody grinning moon was barely visible via the thick clouds that crowded the sky. In the far-off distance, the dark horizon had a barely perceptible red tinge. The Kishin’s territories.

Liz hugged herself, feeling a shiver up her spine. Her breath threatened to come out as a fog, which was strange because at noon the place was sweltering hot. Then again, maybe this was the strangeness of the Grave Colonies, or maybe just the fact that they were so close to Madness-claimed lands.

Eventually, the dead land gave way to things suggested that this pace held life, once. They passed by makeshift-structures resembling homes; huge cloths supported by well-placed sticks and ropes. Odd possessions were strewn here and there; a faded photograph, a string of beads, glinting but broken jewellery. Fire pits dotted the place; one was still burning.

“The Grave Colony,” Liz muttered

Kid stopped. Liz looked over his shoulder. There was a wooden door on the ground in front of him. A cellar of sorts? In this place?

Kid reached down and pulled the door open, revealing dirt beaten-down to resemble stairs. He descended without a word, and without any light.

“Oh, a dungeon!” Patty exclaimed. “We’re going on an adventure sis!”

“Patty, you stay here,” Liz said.

Patty’s grin turned into a pout. “Eh?”

“It’s probably some tiny musty cellar. A creepy one…” She shivered at the last sentence. “You keep guard, alright? It’s very important you do so.”

“Oh…” ‘Oh, can I kick the nasty old guy in the balls if he tries to come in?”

“Sure,” Liz replied, certain Theodore wouldn’t be able to find them in the first place. “But only if he’s being too much of an ass, alright?

“Ok!” Patty saluted and faced opposite of the entrance. “Guard Patty reporting for duty~!

With a mischievous grin, Liz waved goodbye at her sister and descended the stairs. As darkness enveloped her, Liz’s grin faded into a thin-lipped straight line.

When she reached the end of the stairs, she accidentally bumped into Kid, on account of not being able to see a single thing. Liz muttered a half-hearted apology and resisted the urge to cuss loudly at the light-deficient state of the room. Kid said nothing.

Slowly, Liz’s eyes adjusted to the dark and she could make out a few shapes which were the walls and Kid. As seen from Liz’s eyes, the room contained nothing. It was just an empty, dank, underground room. Yet…

Liz couldn't see souls. She didn't have that gift. But, she could sense them. They exuded a certain type of energy that drew Liz in, a pleasant sort of smell and this room’s smell was intoxicating and absolutely drenched in it.

Liz felt her mouth subconsciously twist into a wide smirk. Her feet moved on her own accord. Her hand reached out into seemingly nothing. “Heh, looks like we hit a goldmine-”

Something cold grabbed her arm, sending a shiver down her spine.

Liz blinked breaking herself out of the strange trance she had found herself in. She turned her head to look at what was clutching her hand tightly, to the point of being painful.

It was Kid’s hand. His black cloak hung from it, its edges frayed. He had removed his mask, at which point Liz wasn't sure. His expression…

Liz had to look away.

“ _ No _ .” If the Grim Reaper’s face still had a trace of humanity in it, his voice did not.

“Let me go,” Liz said with some urgency. She squashed any thoughts that she was scared. She had nothing to fear from this brat, had she?

“I can't have you eating souls-”

A flair of frustration energized Liz. Grim Reaper or not, he was still gangly old Kid. Meanwhile, the souls next to her were  _ so many _ , all pulsing with  _ power...  _ No harm done if she took a couple, right?

Liz’s palm grasped around an invisible gaseous orb. She clutched it, her mouth opened, saliva threatening to overflow it…

And it disappeared into thin air, as if it had been taken out of her hands. As if it was…

Liz was now acutely aware that the thing grabbing her arm was a Grim Reaper.

“ _ You will not. _ ”

And this time, Liz can’t  _ not _ listen to him because she no longer faced a gangly injured boy way over his head. She faced the Grim Reaper, and if he can’t kill her with his own hands, he can just as easily order someone to do so.

Liz pulled back. His hand held her for a brief second and then let go, causing her to trip and fall. She hastily stood up and ran, away from the room, into fresh air, where people were alive and her sister waited for her, looking confused when Liz dropped to her knees and held her close.

“Sis?” Patty asked initially confused. When Liz held her tighter, her face obscured, Patty’s face went slack. Eventually, her features twisting in a terrifying grimace. “Did someone hurt you?”

“No,” Liz choked. “No, I’m just…” She took a shuddering breath and steadied herself. “I got scared,” she said in a half-truth.

Slowly, Patty’s grimace turned into a good-natured grin. “Aw...” The younger Thompson patted Liz’s head. “It’s ok, you scaredy cat. There aren’t any ghosts here.”

Gingerly, Liz brought herself up, with Patty still patting her on the head and later on the shoulder. Even though Liz gave her sister a small smile, a grim thought repeated itself in her head.

Maybe Kid had died at the Ritual.

(The gnawing in her stomach intensified.)

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/


	25. Plans In Motion

“We enter the Grim Reaper’s territory. Let us grasp our souls tight, lest the cloaked Harvester reap them.”

_Lipan Apache Chant of Protection._

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Tezca was having some issues. A lot of issues actually, all of them of varying importance, but very puzzling nonetheless.

The less troubling of the sort was the Grave Colonies affair. Thought it was a headache for Tezca, it was at least rather straightforward and had been dealt with. First of all, Tezca had been informed at the last moment that the Academy had traced down and came in agreement with one of the Grave Colonies. This was new to him, and not only had he the responsibility of dealing with the details of the negotiations with the leader of the Colonies, but also pacify the government that their operations would cause minimum disturbance.

The last part was easier said than done, since the officials were rather paranoid that the Academy would somehow try to usurp power from them -rather rightfully so considering the Grim Reaper’s return and Theodore’s ambitions. Thankfully, Tezca was not aware of any such plans officially or not, so he did his best to calm down any overly twitchy politicians. The elimination of the Grave Colonies was a pleasant coincidence, since the official word was ignore their very existence and pretend everything was fine.

But the Grave Colonies affair wasn’t the only thing on Tezca’s mind. Yesterday, Tezca had gotten word that a bunch of kids, the same ones that had taken part in the escape, had turned up in the Resistance’s supposedly secret HQ. Initially, Tezca wanted to chew out whoever was responsible for leaking their hideout, but then got word that among the teens were Black*Star and Tsubaki, whom had visited them before, along with Spirit’s daughter and her Weapon. The only new and relatively unknown additions were Kim and Jacqueline, who the former, if Tezca remembered correctly, had been accused of being a Witch.

The last part had troubled Tezca. Witches had never been good news, and for one of them to have infiltrated the Academy… there were many explanations why and they all ranged from neutral to downright dangerous. However, when questioned about Kim’s nature, Tezca got word that they all denied the charge.

Still, even if Tezca would take their word for Kim’s humanity -which he was ambivalent about- there was still the matter that officially, they were all supposed to have perished. The official report of the escape attempt by the Academy stated that any escapees had been ‘dealt with’, all implications included. Tezca’s own sources of intel supplied that the Grim Reaper had turned up covered in blood, supposedly from the Witch and the rest. When asked about the discrepancy between the records, all teens had remained tight-lipped, citing uncertainty and ‘not-our-secret-to-tell’.

So, either Tezca was dealing with very solid soulless ghosts, a new type of ghoul, or a big piece of the puzzle had escaped his notice. And he still had a potential Witch to worry about.

However, this was not the end to Tezca’s worries. Far from it. The most troubling issue he faced sat silently on a chair across him, staring blankly at nothing.

The Deathscythe let out a silent sigh and sat back in his chair.

On a level Tezca was glad that he even knew where the Grim Reaper was. They had left a while back and had been unaccounted for, for about an hour or so. To what purpose, no one knew, and it caused a bit of chaos. The Grim Reaper did eventually show up, claiming some matter had been taken care off. They had also informed the people of the Grave Colonists’ last wishes, which were to take their belongings to the Academy. And then there were the Thompson sisters…  they had also been unaccounted for at about the same period the Grim Reaper went missing. However the sister’s apparent absence had lasted much longer, so Tezca couldn’t confirm that the three absences were related. Unsurprisingly, it appeared the Thompson sisters did not enjoy the company of others.

After the minor disappearances had been resolved, all that was left now was for the actual gathering of the Grave Colonists’ belongings, which Tezca had delegated to the Meisters and Weapons lazing around. Then they would have to gather the tents and return to either New Mexico for Tezca and his people, or the Academy for everyone else. The only thing that had to be done was grunt work and Tezca would be back at his relatively safer Heaven at the capital.

So it was with a small amount of frustration that Tezca had entered the tent and sat on a chair directly opposite to the Grim Reaper, at the time when he could be expediting the return to his base. At least Theodore was not in the tent, the High Priest having to deal with a couple of slackers in the ranks. Thank goodness for small miracles.

It also wasn’t as if Tezca could object to the meeting. The Grim Reaper had motioned for him to enter and Tezca had done so with some reluctance.

Nevertheless, he had entered determined to at least make some progress on the matters that concerned him. After all, Tezca faced one of the greater sources of his confusion. The issues with the Grave Colonies and miraculously alive escapees were confusing and time-consuming matters on their own, yet they all had one thing in common; the Grim Reaper.

In the plainest terms Tezca could muster, the Grim Reaper had been acting strange. Well, stranger than what Tezca had expected. On one hand, there was a surprising lack of smiting or other ‘vengeful deity’ events, which Tezca was grateful for. On the other hand, there was a general lack of ‘deity’ events, which was… confusing.

Initially, Tezca had been of the opinion that something had gone wrong in the Ritual and the revival was half-assed and Theodore had summoned something else, anything but the Grim Reaper. This theory had been boosted upon news that the Grim Reaper had been isolated from the Academy. Tezca knew that the few people the Grim Reaper often interacted with were made up of Theodore, Joe under Theodore’s orders, and the occasional hapless guard. Even then, they had always stayed within the Academy’s main building. This excursion to a Grave Colony was the first time they had ventured out of the Academy, and it was done with secrecy. It also did not involve any sort of fighting or any challenge that would require a show of force from the Grim Reaper. Already there were rumours that Death had been permanently weakened, that they were already dying, and so on. Then there was the Council meeting where Tezca finally took a look at the bright yellow soul and Tezca did not put much weight on that theory anymore. In addition, as seen with today’s events with the Grave Colonies, anyone that could put to rest a battalion of souls -not that Tezca was aware if that process was energy intensive or not- could not be anything but the Grim Reaper.

However, this strange pattern of behaviour kept puzzling him. The lax attitude towards Sid, Naigus, the captive Deathscythes and the other so-called ‘traitors’ -Tezca had also been informed that the reason nothing much had happened to the latter came from very high-up, which eliminated Theodore and left Tezca with the Grim Reaper- had been a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. Combined with the attitude Tezca had witnessed today…

Was there a reason behind the deviation of the Grim Reaper in tales and the one he faced today? Had the tales been wrong all along? Or was it something else, something Tezca didn’t know about yet? If only Tezca could find out the reason behind the unexpected behaviour-

“What will you do after this?” the Grim Reaper asked. Their tone was neutral and Tezca couldn’t figure out the most important part of the question; why was Death asking him this?

“I’ll return to the Capital,” Tezca replied.

“Do you stay there most of the time?”

Now, why would Death care about that? Did they have an assignment? Were they just curious? Well, there was no point in lying. “I do.”

“What about when the Council meets?”

The curiosity theory got a boost from that question.

“The Council does not meet very often,” Tezca said truthfully. He still had no reason to lie. “When they do and I cannot attend, I communicate my position by written word, usually a list of what should be done.” A very nice, neat list that almost always went ignored, since Theodore could twist the words on paper to mean anything, if not disregard it completely. On the other hand, Tezca’s lack of attendance meant the Deathscythe didn’t have to worry about anyone, i.e. the Buttataki spy, breathing down on him, checking if his every word was a falsity.

Still, why did the Grim Reaper ask Tezca this? Why did they care? “Is there something you want to talk to me about?”

The Grim Reaper didn’t respond immediately. They kept looking away, not meeting Tezca’s gaze. Though, form their way their eyes were dilated, Tezca figured they were using Soul Perception. Not unexpected. Tezca was doing the very same -though his efforts resulted in staring at an inscrutable big solid yellow ball.

“I want to get Marie, Azusa and the others out,” the Grim Reaper eventually said, and looked Tezca straight at the fake eyes of his disguise.

Well, that was a more blunt and manageable request than what Tezca had expected. Also very un-Grim Reaper-like. “Why?”

“Can it be done?” The Grim Reaper said, in a tone suggesting he wouldn’t let anything slip until their request was met.

Huh. Two could play at that game. “And if it could, why would I do so? And why would you care?”

Tezca knew he was venturing in unknown waters. The Grim Reaper had interacted with very few people and all of them very briefly. Theodore appeared to be the Reaper’s main confidant and that worried Tezca. Still, there were all these discrepancies in his records that couldn’t be ignored. Tezca was onto something here, so he had pushed.

“I can ask you the same thing,” the Grim Reaper replied, their tone faster than usual. Evidently they were getting tired of their cat-and-mouse game. “You know the Deathscythes. I know you helped them escape North-” The Grim Reaper cut themselves off, coming to the same realisation as Tezca, in that they couldn’t have known about that in the first place. They cursed softly.

“You do realise,” Tezca slowly said, feeling with soul thrum with agitation, “that because of what you just said one of us may not leave the room alive.”

In his surprise the Grim Reaper huffed and crossed his hands much like an irate teenager. Perhaps a bit too much like one. “If I had any desire to report you, I would have already done so.”

Tezca paused. What the Grim Reaper said was true. Which begged the question, why hadn’t they already done so? The only reason that did not bode well for Tezca was that the Grim Reaper were bluffing hoping to catch a traitor in the act, but Tezca doubted they’d go to such lengths to do so, or even use that particular piece of obscure information. All other explanation implied a… rebellion.

Tezca was missing something and it frustrated him to no end.

“Not a fan of Theodore then?” Tezca asked as a long-shot, hoping to get a clearer look at the situation and even confirm some of his suspicions.

“Yes.”

Tezca felt like Christmas had come early. It was a good thing he wore a disguise. As stuffy and choking the head could be, it hid his grin perfectly. “Go on.”

A frown. Crossed hands pulling themselves closer. “I don’t think I can trust you.”

“I can trust you more if you give me the full story though,” Tezca pushed. “Why?”

The annoyed frown intensified. “Must I have a reason for not wanting people killed?”

“If you were anyone but Death,” Tezca politely said. He left the ‘which I am starting to have doubts,’ part unsaid. “And this was about any random person, no.”

The Grim Reaper’s lips became a thin line. They wouldn’t give away anything else.

Tezca sighed. At least he had gotten himself some very useful info. The Grim Reaper’s displeasure of Theodore was a table-turner. Time to do his part. “There is an assault planned, isn’t there? As discussed in the last Council meeting.”

The Grim Reaper nodded “Yes. Theodore seems eager to-”

“Get them on the frontlines,” Tezca cut the Grim Reaper off, eager to get his plan out and work out all the kinks later.

Truth be told, Tezca had formulated a couple of plans about getting the Deathscythes and Meisters out of the dungeons. His conscience demanded he do so, especially after his failure to save Marie and Azusa’s child -and perhaps a bit more guilt from the plan Tezca had concocted earlier, one he had thought a success until he got word that Kid had somehow survived a slit throat.

Now that he thought about it, that incident _was_ peculiar. At the time, Tezca had bigger things to worry about so he had put aside that little detail, which was then forgotten completely when Kid was sacrificed. Still, maybe the boy’s resilience had something to do with the Grim Reaper’s strange behaviour.

“That’s dangerous.”

One example of said strange behaviour was their open concern towards the ‘traitor’ Deathscythes and their Meisters. Things got curiouser by the second.

“Of course it’d be dangerous. That’s how we’ll convince the others that the Deathscythes wish to re-join the Academy,” Tezca explained. “I can bring up the motion in the meeting and you’ll have to approve it or at least push for the motion to be accepted. However, try to not appear too eager; it may look suspicious.” Giving subterfuge advice to Death. Oh the twist and turns that were Tezca’s life.

“You won’t be suspected?”

“As head of the Weapons division, that proposal isn’t uncharacteristic,” Tezca said, which was partially true. It also was a known secret at the Council that he was old friends with some of the prisoners, including his fellow Deathscythes.

The Grim Reaper nodded at the information. Their face was still unreadable. “What about the other members? How will we convince them?”

“Auntie won’t be too hard. The woman has a soft heart and even if she doesn’t wield much influence, the more people we have on our side the better,” Tezca said. “George can be convinced if I focus on the benefits and effectiveness of having supposed traitors as the first ones to march and the ones more likely to be killed.”

The Grim Reaper did not hide the flinch this time when they heard those last words. Their mask was cracking yet still, Tezca couldn’t see what it was covering.

“Don’t worry, they’re Deathscythes. They’ve handled themselves before, they’ll be able handle themselves now.” It was strange, plotting like this. Tezca was used to discussing his plans with himself, or Enrique. “Because I will be the one making the proposal, Theodore is a lost cause,” Tezca continued. “Mind, I will try convincing him, it won’t be a genuine effort. That’s where I will need your support. I’m sure you can find a way to rationalise this somehow to Theodore.”

“I’ll manage,” the Grim Reaper said with a frown.

Tezca nodded, knowing he would have to take their word for it. “Finally, Misery will probably be neutral; I have no idea how that woman thinks. Joe is a wild card as well.”

“I can handle Joe,” the Grim Reaper said absent-mindedly.

 _Huh_. Interesting. “Whatever you do, make sure you don’t blow your cover.”

A mild pout. A rather childish gesture. Tezca would find it amusing if it didn’t further muddle the waters on the Grim Reaper’s situation. “I’m not incompetent.”

“No, but it’s better we minimize any risks. We must not make out intentions obvious for fear of exposure,” Tezca said bluntly. Then a thought occurred to him. “Case in point, what would you have done of I was on Theodore’s side all along?” It was a redundant question. Tezca knew where his allegiances lay; still he was interested in the Grim Reaper’s answer.

A guarded expression. “I trust my sources.”

Ah they were learning already. Enough info to have anyone second-guessing, but enough to make any concrete conclusions.

“Really? I’m guessing it was the Deathscythes who told you about me.” Now, how the Grim Reaper had gotten access to the Deathscythes and convinced them to share that info with them was another matter entirely. “Even then, what if I was running a false flag operation to lure out any supposed traitors and capture them?”

“If it was, you wouldn’t have sent so many to stop the Ritual,” the Grim Reaper stated. “And they wouldn’t come this close to stopping it…”

Ok, pause. Rewind. How on Earth did they know about that? Unless Theodore told them. Even then…

“The fact that I tried to sabotage your revival does not bother you?”

Their jaw clamped down. They looked away. “I cannot fully explain yet, but no.”

… _Huh_. Just what on Earth was Tezca dealing with?

“There is one more thing I want to talk to you about,” the Grim Reaper said. Tezca filed away his many questions for further musing and concentrated on them. “It concerns Mr Barrett and Miss Naigus.”

“What about them?”

“There will be a motion to reinstate Mr Barrett as Head of the Academy’s Intelligence Agency,” the Grim Reaper stated. There was a pause and they stared straight at Tezca. Soul Perception, Tezca realised after a brief moment. They were trying to gauze his true feelings on the matter.

Tezca tapped his hand and willed his Soul Wavelength to spread over his soul, like a particularly reflective coat of mirrors. The Grim Reaper blinked. Evidently, they didn’t expect that. Tezca smirked from under his disguise.

A small sigh, an averted gaze. Success, Tezca noted. “I want you to support it.”

Well, Tezca had little objection to that. Sid, despite any ideological differences they had, was a reasonable man. Tezca had been saddened when he had heard of his demise. When he had gotten news that the man wasn’t fully dead yet but returned as some weird undead being… Tezca may go so far as to say he was happy. Tezca didn’t know Mira well enough to celebrate her return, but he knew she was loyal and, though not a Deathscythe, was a Weapon of considerable power. Also, it would be nice to have a Council session where he wouldn’t have to face Joe’s piercing Soul Perception. It was a miracle he had enough wits to endure the previous one.

“I will. I may have to be a bit hesitant at first as to muddle the waters, but you have my approval.”

The Grim Reaper let out another small sigh of relief. Tezca couldn’t bring himself to relax just yet.

Still, even if Tezca did agree to the plan, he had to figure out the Grim Reaper’s motive. To reinstate someone on the Council, one who had taken part in an open rebellion… No matter what Theodore would claim about Sid being in Death’s realm thus under their control, Tezca knew full well Sid’s mind had not been affected by his demise, evident when he was among the first volunteer for the assault during the Ritual. Well, there was no point in speculation when he could get some info about the situation.

“What are you planning?” Tezca bluntly asked. Short, simple and straight to the point.

Truth be told, even if this talk had been illuminating about the Grim Reaper’s short-term agenda, Tezca was still in the dark about any long-term plans they had. Did they still wish to fight the Kishin? What about the Witches? What about the Academy’s role in the world stage? Tezca didn’t know about any of that, and perhaps this was at the heart of his true worries. Because Tezca did have opinions about all of the above, plans and strategies that he thought would be more effective and most humane. Sure, Tezca had some leeway built into his plans, because when it came to the Kishin and a few other matters there were things he did not know. However, being strung along someone else’s plan was not how Tezca did things, even if this ‘someone else’ was Death.

For example, to get back on the Grim Reaper’s request of Sid and Naigus; Best case scenario was that the Grim Reaper did truly believe that the two deserved their freedom and their reinstatement into their previous positions. That would mean their morals agreed with Tezca’s which was all well and good. It was the best-case scenario, but Tezca couldn’t be sure if it was the most probable one. But, if this was some power struggle to get complete control of the Academy… At first, such a gesture would seem redundant. The Grim Reaper could take them all out in terms of power. Unless they weren’t confident in their abilities or power. Unless the Grim Reaper was _worried_ about someone from the Council planning open rebellion. Again, his reasoning circled back to one thought. _Unless something had gone wrong with the revival._

“I can’t say yet,” the Grim Reaper eventually replied, gaze still averted.

Not a denial. Yet no information either. The yet was important thought. It implied there’d be a time where Tezca would learn about them.

This time, Tezca did not mask their disappointment, curious what reaction it’d trigger. “I see.” Slowly, he stood up and pretended to prepare to leave the tent.

Tezca had just turned around to start walking towards the exit, when the Grim Reaper spoke. “I don’t mean any harm.”

This was a strange thing to say. Unprovoked in some way -but in other ways very deliberately provoked.

Tezca turned around and regarded the Grim Reaper.

Their face had fallen. Their brows furrowed. They looked distraught.

And in this moment, Tezca became acutely aware that the Grim Reaper’s form was a sickly young boy. A deliberate ploy, a devious use of their appearance, or something else entirely-?

“Look, this probably appears to be very confusing…”

Understatement of the century. Also made Tezca lean into the ‘not a ploy’ theory.

“And it is,” the Grim Reaper continued, “but I can’t fully explain it to you. Not yet.”

There was the ‘yet’ again. “Lack of trust?”

The Grim Reaper grimaced. “Sort of,” they admitted. “But I do want you to know that I mean well.” A pause for recollection. “Ok, I just realised this sounds very vague…”

“True,” Tezca agreed, nudging them to reveal more.

“The Academy was founded to fight back against the Kishin’s madness,” the Grim Reaper began.

“And to restore you to your previous power.  Though that was after your uh...” Tezca tactfully trailed off.

“Defeat by the Kishin,” the Grim Reaper continued. “Right.”

Another pause. A fiddling of arms. Nervousness?

“And we can both agree that something had to be done about the Kishin,” the Grim Reaper continued. “Eventually.”

This wasn’t a ‘yet,’ but its implications were close enough to one.

“But I can’t do anything about it. Not now at least.” Another disguised yet.

“And that is because…?” Tezca trailed off. When he received no response, he folded his arms. “Reasons you can’t explain.”

An inclination of the head. “Yet.”

Another.

“And when will you be able to tell me what’s going on?” Tezca asked. He opted for the straightforward route. It had worked moderately successful last time. Besides, Tezca did not like being kept in the dark.

This time, the Grim reaper bit their lip.

Curious. They had not done that before. A very nervous gesture -and very human, but Tezca did not dwell much on that.

The Grim Reaper’s next words were quick and quiet, as if fearing for eavesdroppers. “When Theodore is deposed.”

Well. Well, well, well. _Well_.

Not just displeasure. Not a simple power-struggle of sorts. An outright plan of removal!

Tezca bit down on his tongue hard. Now was not the time to celebrate. There was still much he did not know. For example...

“Why not kill him?”

For the record, Tezca was not a big fan of that plan, though with what he knew about Theodore, it would be the most effective. But Tezca had to know why the Grim Reaper thought so as well.

“I can’t just kill whoever I disagree with.”

Fair enough. Solid base argument. Not so much though when one considered the actual man.

“So, what _will_ happen with Theodore? Prison? Exile?” Tezca asked. “If you plan on changing his mind, it is a lost battle,” he continued. “And, if left unchecked, his ideas are dangerous. This is not just about disagreeing.”

No answer. Perhaps there wasn’t one.

Yet.

“I want you to trust me,” the Grim Reaper said. An evasion, as clear as day. “And I want to know I can trust you as well.”

Another stare. Soul Perception again. Tezca’s defences were already up, but the Grim Reaper persisted.

This wouldn’t do, not at all. Tension was high too high. Tezca had to lower it.

Tezca let out a bellowing laugh, which caught the Grim Reaper off guard. “Well, it seems we’ll just have to trust each other!”

Tezca slapped his knee for good measure. The Grim Reaper’s face fell again. Their shoulders slumped. Yet, no more questions or words. Just a quiet acceptance of Tezca’s words. Exhaustion? Probably did not expect Tezca to be this inquisitive. It was a mistake many had made. Oh well, that had always worked in Tezca’s advantage.

It was with this sense of victory that Tezca stood up and stretched. Such conversation always renewed him. Made him understand more, gave him hints of what to expect, made the world just a little less unpredictable.

Still, his biggest questions had remained unanswered. The waters were still very mudded. Though enlightened in some sort-term plans, even a long-term one, the core cause of these pans eluded him.

One possibility ran though Tezca minds. Was he truly dealing with Death? What if he wasn’t?

No that couldn’t be, what had happened in the Grave Colonies...

Could they be a soul eater? In which case, they had handed him hundreds of souls on a silver platter…

No, someone would have sensed that. Joe, anyone with any working Soul Perception would have seen that yet they all treated the... boy as a Grim Reaper. So that was certain.

Another possibility ran through Tezca's mind. An extraordinary one. By all counts, a _mad_ one. One that required a test of one of his basic assumptions.

All he needed was a piece of his Soul Wavelength, expertly manipulated. Tezca felt the mirror shard form. It was hidden in a corner, out of sight, yet Tezca still caught a glint. He always did.

Tezca recalled a very specific memory. A feminine face, one-eyed, golden eyes and golden hair. Only one word uttered.

"Kid?" came a warbled feminine voice. It was low enough that Tezca couldn’t technically hear it -even if he had given the order for his Wavelength to do that. The Grim Reaper should be able to hear it.

Evidently they did, as they turned their head to where the sound came from, as if they had been called.

At this, Tezca gulped, took a deep breath and left the tent. His mind was racing.

The Grim Reaper had heard the name. They had _responded_ to the name. _He_ had responded to the name.

This confirmed one of Tezca’s suspicions.

Something had gone horribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tezca Thinks Too Much: The Chapter.


	26. Unwinding

“The best way to kill your enemy is by becoming like them.”

Carlos Castillo, ‘ _On Survival’_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid let out a silent breath and closed his eyes.

If his mental health was a pit, he was quickly approaching rock bottom. Despite the already omnipresent anxiety and dread Kid felt ever since the Ritual, he now had a growing sense of exhaustion, both mental and physical. Physically, his joints felt stiff, and during his quick return to a van so that they would return to the Academy, Kid’s body had been on autopilot. Mentally, Kid was barely holding back from closing his eyes and blank out for the next few hours.

He didn’t know how much his exhaustion had to do with the Grave Colonists. He had dealt with them without trouble with the most part. Despite the macabre nature of the task, it has been calming, in a manner. Like he was setting things right, like he was making this world just a bit more ordered, just a little less mad. However, the fact that making the world less mad entailed mass death -was it murder? They had all come willingly, or so he thought- did not do wonders for Kid’s mental state, which was still bridging gaps when it came to his previous ‘human’ life and renewed true identity as a Grim Reaper.

That connection that was not helped when he thought he had heard Marie’s voice calling out to him while Tezca was leaving the tent. For a moment, Kid’s mind went blank and he tried to find the source of the sound, like a lost child. When he came to his senses shortly after, Tezca was gone from the tent, and Kid could only hope he hadn’t given anything more away. Plans and assurances had been made, but simply talking with the Deathscythe was exhausting and had made Kid felt like he had navigated a minefield and set off a few mines along the way.

Not to mention that after the talk with Tezca, new -or rather, old but forgotten- issues made themselves apparent. What was Kid supposed to do in the first place? What course should he take as the Grim Reaper? Kid wanted to fully embrace the identity, it felt _right_ and it felt all the gaps in Kid’s psyche ever since he remembered himself, but he had no how to do so correctly. How proactive should he be about Liz’s problem? How aggressive? Should he have handled the whole affair with the Grave Colonists differently? What about the fight against the Kishin?

In addition to all the above, Kid now also had to go forth his and Tezca’s plans to reinstate Sid and Naigus, figure out what the hell was going on with the ‘assault’ that was apparently in the works, all while working with…

“Milord.”

Theodore.

Kid opened his eyes to regard the High Priest, who had seen it fit to accompany Kid on the way back the same way he had accompanied Kid on the way here. He sat opposite to Kid as he had last time, and had stayed silent up until now.

"Once again, I must raise my concerns about the Thompsons,” Theodore said and Kid felt a knot form on his throat while anew bubble of stress formed.

Kid’s conspiring was a raging bonfire of anxiety and Liz’s precarious condition was a truck filled with gasoline crashing into the flames. Before today, he had put the matter of Liz having eaten souls aside, hoping it would sort itself out because, frankly, Kid was not sure what he could do. Liz had already been walking a fine line with having consumed uncorrupted souls. Eating any more would only reawaken and reinforce her hunger if it hadn’t already…

It wasn’t intentional, but Kid may have put a brief stop today. He had scared Liz when she tried to eat one of the Grave Colonist’s soul, he had realised this much. Kid didn’t remember the details clearly, his mind had been muddled, but he had been very insistent and Liz had simply… backed away.

After that, Kid had seen no hide nor hair of her. The one exception was when Kid caught a brief glimpse of her trembling soul while they were leaving the rave Colonies. From that, Kid had figured Liz was purposefully avoiding him.

 Still, Kid knew Liz well enough to know fear wouldn’t be enough to keep her in line. The only permanent solutions Kid could come up with involved either straight up killing Liz -which was unacceptable- or, somehow, taking away the source of her hunger which stemmed from the eaten uncorrupted souls.

As a Grim Reaper… could Kid do something about the souls Liz had consumed? About the souls consumed by those who had not yet been fully corrupted?

"I have them under control," Kid lied, not meeting Theodore’s gaze.

"It is not simply about that, milord,” Theodore insisted. “The eating of souls exacerbates the innate Hunger.” The High Priest laced his hands on his lap, his knuckled clenched and pale. “And that once someone starts it is only a matter of time before their soul is permanently corrupted.”

“I am aware. But...” Kid paused. “There may be something I can do.” he lied, though he believed in the sentiment. If someone could do anything about the ones that had consumed souls but had not turned into pre-Kishin yet, that would be the Grim Reaper. Kid.

There had to be a solution. Just like Kid had lived up to his role by providing the Grave Colonists with the final destination they craved, he would work out a solution to this partial soul-eating mess. He wouldn’t give up on Liz and Patty. They hadn’t, evident when Liz and Patty took a shot at him when they believed he had perished in the Ritual.

 Kid looked up to see Theodore give him a guarded look. "Truly?"

It was a shot in the dark. _Truly_ , Kid had no idea. If anyone did know, it would be the mysterious figure Kid encountered his ‘dreams’. He had to bring it up the next time Kid encountered them.

“I am looking into it and I will keep you informed,” Kid said in the most polite tone he could muster.

The High Priest nodded, though he kept his gaze on the Grim Reaper.

“Is there anything else, Theodore?” Kid asked, hoping the High Priest would look away and say no.

“An observation, milord,” Theodore said keeping his gaze on the Grim Reaper, to Kid’s disappointment and dread. “With your handling of matters so far, such as the captured traitors, including the Deathscythes and the matter of the Thompsons…”

“What about them?” Kid flatly asked.

“You have been rather lenient,” the High Priest concluded.

Kid’s expression shifted into a frown. “Apologies, am I not killing enough people for your liking?”

Theodore gave Kid a short bow but he did not waver. “I did not mean to sound so flippant about your domain milord.”

Kid did not answer, choosing to look away and cross his hands.

“I do wish this was a world where harshness wouldn’t be necessary in the first place, but unfortunately it is now,” Theodore continued after a short period of silence. “But I believe we can make it so, however, but not if we falter in our approach.” The High Priest’s gaze fell onto his robes. “There are difficult decisions ahead, but we must persevere.”

Kid frowned at the High Priest’s words. Was Theodore trying to be...nice? Comfort the Grim Reaper in his own 'High-Priest' sort of way? Kid didn't know whether to be wary or touched, but he supposed it was… reassuring in a way. Plus, the message Theodore wanted to pass across, the one about perseverance, wasn’t all bad-

Then Kid remembered all else he knew about Theodore. The harshness he preached on was evident in how he was commanding the Academy, who would have killed Marie and Azusa if Kid hadn’t interfered. His perseverance was congratulating Kid when he thought he’d murdered teenagers in cold blood. This was the man who had kept him chained and forced to translate the Book of Eibon. The man who kept him locked up in a dungeon to await a fate worse than death. The man who...

“Is this what you were thinking when you cut,” Kid took a brief pause, almost saying ‘my,’ “ _his_ heart open?”

If Theodore did have any regrets about the ritual, they didn’t show on his face or on his soul, as far as Kid could tell. “It was necessary. The boy was frail. Even if I had let him go, he wouldn't have survived out there.”

_'I seem to be doing fine so far,’_ Kid bitterly thought.

“Has this affected you in any way?” Theodore carefully asked, pausing at each word to gauze the Grim Reaper’s reaction to them. “The… death of the boy?”

“He has a name.” _‘I have a name.’_

“Had a name, a rather odd one at that. Kid or child, or something equally… redundant.”

That gave Kid pause. Technically, Theodore had just insulted him from beyond the grave, right in front of his face. Frankly, that was amazing in some roundabout, I-don’t-believe-this-could-even-happen sort of way.

‘… _Your face is redundant_ ,’ a childish part of Kid silently shot back.

“Though I did not know the boy well,” Theodore began and Kid felt his blood go cold, “he was more than glad to aid in your revival-”

“ _You’re lying_.” Kid’s tone could shave ice, and he felt his mask give way.

Normally, he would disregard Theodore’s remarks as the words of a madman. But these words… These words were an outright lie, a lie Kid wouldn’t -couldn’t- let go unchallenged. Even if the wounds had healed, even if the blood had been washed away, Kid’s memories persisted. He remembered the musky smell of the dungeons, his emotions being a whirlwind of desperation, confusion and fear, the feeling of frigid metal wedging its way into his chest… It was a good thing Kid’s dreams had been sparse since the ritual, as he didn’t want to know what nightmares his mind could conjure.

To Kid’s pleasure, Theodore had gone pale. “H-how did you?”

The Grim Reaper clenched his teeth. His mask had already slipped to much. Or maybe it hadn’t. Kid could salvage this. He had to.

“I am Death, Theodore.” The impunity with which Kid could invoke the High Priest’s name was cathartic. “Did you think I wouldn't know?”

Theodore’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Pardon my lack of faith. And my attempt to deceive you.” With a deep breath, Theodore bowed his head at the Grim Reaper. “However, I stand by my claim.”

Kid squashed down a desire to cuss out the High Priest, and settled for raising an eyebrow.

“I believe if the boy had fully realised the gravity his situation, he would have marched right up to the altar himself and demanded I performed the Ritual,” Theodore continued, keeping his head bowed.

Kid’s scowl deepened. Just how delusional…?” “Go on.”

“This was not a mere sacrifice. This was necessary. With all due respect milord, but were it not for the boy’s demise you would not be here and I refuse to let Earth plunge into Madness.” One hand hovered over his side, where Kid knew the pouch with Ana’s remains was. “Not after…”

Even as Theodore unwittingly placed his hand where Ana’s pouch should be, Kid felt no sliver of empathy anymore.

“Despite your objections milord, if I was given the choice, I would do the same thing again and would not hesitate,” Theodore continued and Kid became acutely aware of his own heart thrumming against his eardrums. “You did not hesitate about the fate of the escapees and now they no longer burden us. The same way you did not hesitate at the Grave Colonies.”

Theodore said and Kid was glad his cloak only left his neck and face visible, for his fists were clenched so tightly he was drawing blood.

“This needed to be done. There was no other way. I have hesitated before milord and it cost me.” The High Priest brought his head up and stared at the Grim Reaper’s eyes. “You are in no position to do the mistakes I made.”

Kid briefly held Theodore’s gaze but didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer without being snippy at best and outright blow-his-cover insulting at worst. Instead, he buried his indignation deep and stared at a corner of the van as if he was trying to set it on fire.

Apparently, Theodore had caught on to the Grim Reaper’s sour mood and went quiet.

Good. Kid was in no mood to talk as well.

Taking a few calming silent breaths, Kid slowly unfurled his hands and felt his fingertips slick with blood. He had hurt himself. Splendid. He at least hoped the wounds were similar across both sides because, even if he was furious, it wouldn’t do if he was _unbalanced_ , _disorganised_ -

But his mind couldn’t help circle back to one question.

What if Theodore had a point? His actions, his setting up of the altar made Kid’s stomach lurch but…

What would have happened if Theodore hadn’t gone through with the Ritual? How long would Kid have gone on with his true nature hidden? How long would the Grave Colonists have had to endure their existence? How many more unfortunate dead souls would have been found and consumed by soul eaters instead of passing on as they were supposed to?

No, that wasn’t a good line of thought. Theodore wasn’t responsible for that. The High Priest had had no idea about Kid’s true nature, only conjecture and luck. He didn’t perform the Ritual to help awaken Kid’s nature, but as a desperate attempt to bring back a broken God.

…If Theodore was right in one way, is that Kid would not repeat the High Priest’s mistakes. Kid would not adopt the High Priest’ cruelty, his… everything.

Kid was not the Grim Reaper Theodore desired. Kid would not become the Grim Reaper Theodore desired. That much Kid was certain of.

The worst thing though, was that even with the determination to be everything Theodore was against, the Grim Reaper still had no idea what he was supposed to do.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Maka huffed and crossed her arms in impatience. Next to her, Soul had placed his hands in his pockets and glanced at the Weapon-Meisters pair surrounding them. After a brief nap, in which Maka had rested her head n Soul’s shoulder and the boy felt his face grow warm, they had woken up to find themselves by another batch of people watching over them.

Black Star’s rapid thumping of his foot, caused Soul to glance at him and Tsubaki, the girl sitting in an almost-meditative position, her back straight and her eyes darting between the guards. Kim stood on the other side of Maka, having raised her legs to her chest and warily eyeing the guards around them. Jackie stood by the Witch’s side and, judging by her tight expression and her practically rubbing against Kim’s shoulder, Soul guessed she was ready to transform at any moment.

Sou sighed and looked at the guards once again. Two pairs were at the only entrance of the small room they were in, while four more were positioned at the corners of the room. Soul fund their presence unnerving and overbearing, but considering they had done the equivalent of bursting into their secret hideout, Soul supposed the people here had reason to be son high alert.

Their arrival to the Resistance HQ had gone off without a hitch, save the part where they had to pick a driver. Black Star had initially volunteered, but that had turned out to be a terrible idea and they’d almost driven off a cliff. Maka had taken up the position next, and after a few false starts where the car’s engine heaved with misuse, they had managed to make their way into the southern outskirts of Mexico City slowly but steadily. They had left the car at the edge of the urban area and ventured into the inconspicuous sea of grey stone shuttered-off buildings had greeted them, sparse with people, until Maka had seen a small block of houses with a faded green rug hung on the archway. They had knocked on the wooden door, and upon receiving no response after several knocks, began shouting and making a racket, until a cross guard had let them in with a growl.

After that, they had been escorted into a room with sparse furniture, surrounded by Meisters wielding Weapons, and instructed to wait. They had been asked several questions, but Soul and the others had remained tight-lipped. Now that Soul knew what they were supposed to say; the full explanation of their escape would make them sound like they’d been plucked straight out of the worst-affected Kishin territories.

“I’m bored! I just want something to happen already…” Black Star said with a loud groan, as he stretched and his elbow almost hit Soul in the face.

Black Star’s wish was fulfilled in the sound of hurried footsteps, and the opening of the room’s door, where a new figure stood.

The guards whispered to each other, and Soul squinted his eyes to look at the newcomer. Maybe Soul was losing it, because there was no way anyone could have a head this big-

As the man stepped through the doorway, his head caught on a ray of light, revealing a felt texture and a cartoony-bear design.

Soul frown deepened; he had heard enough about the man to recognise who he was.

Tezca, a Deathscythe. The Leader of the Academy’s Rebel faction.

“Well, since I’ve never met with some of you before, I suppose we should start with introductions. Plus addressing some of the elephants in the room, and oh boy, there are a lot…” Tezca casually said as he faced them, like a teacher addressing a class. He raised a hand to point at Kim, and Soul felt the room go cold. “To begin with, you were accused to be a Witch.”

Jackie clutched Kim’s arm tighter, and Soul also felt himself stand straighter. He didn’t know Kim that well, but she had helped them escape, Witch or not. Soul was grateful for that.

Judging by Maka’s now tense shoulders, she held Kim in a similar regard. Which was nice. Soul knew Maka was protective of their group, especially after the Ritual, and little reminders like that didn’t let him forget.

“They sure did,” Kim eventually said with a shrug. “But come on, big rebel that you are, you know that half those claims are bull, right?” She asked so casually, that Soul find himself believing her.

“If I may,” Tsubaki spoke up, not having moved from her formal pose. “Kim was instrumental in our escape,” she said with a straight face. “Such claims will only cause trouble.”

“I see…” Tezca scratched his neck and Soul found himself hating the bear mask because he couldn’t tell where or what the Deathscythe was looking at. “Moving on then.” The oversized head turned slightly.

“I’m Jackie, Kim’s partner.” Jackie curtly introduced herself with a wary expression. “We’ve known each other for some time.”

It was obvious to Soul that there was more to this story, but Tezca didn’t push it. The Deathscythe simply nodded at the information, and the stuffed cartoony eyes turned to face Black Star.

“And now to the ones I know. I suppose we should talk about how we have a member of the Star Clan in our midst.” Tezca’s words left the room silent, and Soul shifted as he felt everyone’s gaze shift to Black Star’s tattooed shoulder. “You are from the Star Clan, correct?”

When Soul had first noticed the tattoo, he had had his own mental freak out because all Star Clan members were _dangerous_ and not someone you associated with unless you had a death wish. Soul had been hesitant about interacting with the boy, but the more he saw him act -loud and boisterous and oddly supportive in a way that went against everything Soul knew about the Star Clan- the more he saw Black Star as a good, if occasionally bone-headed, friend.

“Sure am!” Black Star immediately and casually responded.

“Dude,” Soul whispered to Black Star, “I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean that in a good way.”

“Neither am I!” Black Star, defeating the purpose of Soul’s whisper. “Do you know how annoying it is when the only thing people know about me is that I’m from the Star Clan?”

Soul gave Black Star a look. He supposed Black Star had a point, but it also made him wonder what his relation was with the rest of the Star Clan? Was he an outcast, or related to someone important?

“What else is there to know?” Tezca asked with a tilt of his stuffed head.

Black Star’s smirk widened into a toothy smile. “Heh. You better get a good look at this, cause I’m the one who’s gonna kick God’s ass!”

“Which God’s?”

“Anyone’s!”

Soul had to admit, that was one of the cooler statements he had heard.

Tezca placed his hands on his hips and gave black Star a long look, which the ninja reciprocated with a wide smirk.

Tezca looked at Tsubaki and let out a sigh. “I suppose you can’t be that bad if you’ve partnered with the Nakatsukasa heir.”

“Wait, you’re a Nakatsukasa-?” Jackie blurted out.

Tsubaki slowly nodded. Soul looked at Maka, who reciprocated his lost look.

“Uh,” Soul spoke up, “are we supposed to know who the Nakatsukasa are?”

“The Nakatsukasa Clan are an ancient and unbroken Demon Weapon bloodline,” Tezca informed them.

Oh. Soul didn’t know much about Weapon ‘culture’ -or whatever else it was called- but he supposed that being from an ancient bloodline was important or something, though he wouldn’t know since his family…

Soul shook his head, not wanting to go down this train of thought.

…His family would be fine. Wes had made a good impression in the gala, despite the disaster that followed afterwards. He and his mom would be fine. They wouldn’t even be suspected, since it wasn’t uncommon for people, Weapons especially, to go missing. It had been for the best really. His mum had always gone on about how much danger they were in because Soul was a Weapon-

“What about you boy?” Tezca’s words broke Soul out of thoughts, and the Weapon found himself the recipient of the Deathscythe’s… gaze, or equivalent thereof. “Anything more you’d like to reveal about yourself?”

Soul blinked, lost for words. “Uh…”

Really, what was there to say? He was just some random dude who’d stuck along with Maka because she could wield him and had gone along their hare-brained schemes and had miraculously not died yet. Still, he had found himself out of his depth, having been partnered with the child of a feared Deathscythe -whom later Soul had found out to be an awkward parent, but the fear of incompetence still lingered- and working with Witches, members of powerful clans and the Grim Reaper.

Yup, Soul was completely and utterly out of his depth.

“Not really…” He shrugged, scratching his neck in discomfort.

“Soul’s my Weapon partner,” Maka spoke up, and Soul thought it was a silly thing to say since Tezca already knew that.

Still, it felt nice.

“And you’re Spirit’s daughter, Maka,” Tezca continued, and Maka nodded.

“Quite the group…” Tezca continued in a mutter. He cleared his throat as he addressed them again, this time in a clear and rather loud voice. “So, you’ve been asked this before, but do you mind telling me how your group, which was supposed to have been killed let me remind you, ended up on my doorstep?”

Soul let his expression fall. They hadn’t worked out a cover story of how they’d escaped the Academy, at least not one that involved keeping Kid’s cover.

“We want to help,” Maka spoke up, taking the third option of not answering the question at all.

“So that’s a negative,” Tezca muttered before speaking up. “Help with what? Lots of things that need to change.”

“Getting rid of Theodore,” Maka continued, and the words felt off with Soul. He knew what the plan was, but to hear it out loud, only made it more real and immediate.

They really were planning a coup.

“So you’re working together.”

“What are you talking about?”

“With the one that got you out, aka the one who provided your cover story.” Upon being greeted with silence, Tezca gave them an impatient sigh. “Come on, will you force me to spell it out?”

“K-The Grim Reaper,” Maka let out, and Soul supposed she used the title as a last-ditch attempt to keep up Kid’s cover, somewhat. “How did you find out?”

“You just told me,” Tezca inclined his head, and Soul could picture the man’s wink underneath his mask, while Maka’s face became an angry -or embarrassed, Soul couldn’t tell- shade of crimson. “But to be honest, I’d have still suspected that if your answer had been completely different. Only so many ways you can make the pieces fit together, and even then… But enough of that. I’m not sure how much you know, so I’ll do a quick recap of the plan and your role in it.”

“Our role?” Tsubaki asked with a small frown.

“We’re not exactly overflowing with members as you can see,” Tezca said as he gestured to the guards. Upon closer inspection, some of them had bloodshot eyes, and faces that Soul had seen since they first arrived, which meant there hadn’t been a guard change… “But don’t worry, I know everyone’s limits.”

Tezca placed his hands behind his back, Soul found himself listening with rapt attention.

“One of the ways to undermine Theodore’s control is to free the Deathscythes he has imprisoned. Stein too.” Maka’s face went hard at the indirect mention of her dad. “So far, the plan is to basically abduct them while they’re dispatched on a mission?”

“Dispatched?” Kim asked. “How on Earth is that gonna happen?”

“Let me worry about these details. What’s important is your role.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice. “You’ll be doing the ‘abducting’.”

 “Oi,” Black Star spoke up. “What about Sid and Mira?”

“They’ll stay in the Academy, and they should be released sooner than later. All part of the plan.”

Black Star’s face fell. “…That’s it?”

“Your part won’t be easy. You won’t have to deal with any Academy members that spot you, but also with any third parties, there’s a reason there will be a dispatch after all. The place will be crawling with pre-Kishin,” Tezca explained. “Your first priority will be undoing any bindings the Deathscythes have. After that, you will all work together to remove yourself from the situation and head back to one of our outposts.”

“We can do it,” Maka said the moment Tezca finished. She looked around to see faces of approval and a smile made its way on her determined expression

“Good. Of course, the whole plan hinges on trusting everyone involved in this conspiracy of ours. And I’m not referring to only the people in this room,” Tezca added the last part right before they could answer. Its implications were clear, and Soul hoped Kid wouldn’t be too angry at what had already been revealed. “Well?”

“We do,” Maka said without pause.

“As you say,” Tezca acquiesced with a sigh. “Not much room to do otherwise.”

As Tezca turned and left with the majority of the guards following him, Soul gave Maka a light poke. “Hey. Think we can do it?”

“We must.” Maka scowl softened to a frown when she looked at Soul. “Are you worried?”

“You can tell?” Soul said with an uneasy smile. Even after they’d just escaped the Academy’s clutches, they’d have to venture back in again. Soul understood they had to do this to rescue others, friends and family, but it didn’t mean he didn’t get anxious just thinking about it.

“I’m worried too,” Maka admitted. “But we must do this if we want to keep everyone safe.”

“We’re rescuing Deathscythes.”

“Which means we have to get stronger too,” Maka said with a troubled sigh. Moments later, her face lighted up. “Say…”

“Yeah?”

“It’s been a dr-idea I’ve had ever since we met.” Maka looked away with a small pout. “Well, even before I’ve had a Weapon partner really-”

“What is it?” Soul cut her off, aware she’d continue rambling if he hadn’t done so.

“I’ll…” Maka’s fists were clenched. “I’ll make you a Deathscythe.”

Soul was at a loss for words.

A… Deathscythe? That was considered the highest distinction a Weapon could achieve, becoming powerful enough to be wielded by the Grim Reaper. The last part had always been theoretical since Death had been initially trapped by the Kishin and then destroyed, but now with Kid… If Soul became a Deathscythe, he would be powerful for sure, but what if Maka couldn’t wield…

No. From what Soul had seen, Deathscythes could be wielded by their original Meisters. Plus, Kid had been nothing like the idea Soul had of the Grim Reaper, so even if he had to work with him every now and then, it couldn’t be too bad.

But still, the amount of work that’d require… Not only would it require many pre-Kishin souls, but also the soul of a Witch. Right now, it seemed an impossible objective. Still, even from what little Soul knew of her from their connection, if there was one person determined enough to try and achieve the impossible was…

“Knock yourself out,” Soul casually said, still thinking of the idea of him as a Deathscythe as a fever dream.

Still, it was a nice fever dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the massive delay! I have been swamped with uni assignments and will continue to do until I graduate in May. Updates will be slow, so apologies in advance :/  
> But, all is not terrible! In the meantime, you can check out ‘TRAVELLERS LOST’, a 100k fic written for the Soul Eater Resbang 2017 (and if you already have, you can read the other fics as well :D). Please feel free to check it out if any of the things below interest you:  
> • Cosmic horror  
> • At least one chapter told from each Spartoi’s POV  
> • A confused Grim Reaper  
> • Cannibalism  
> • Bright gods  
> • Artificial gods  
> • Wounded gods  
> • Eaten go -no, I am not so presumptuous as to call myself a god, my delicious friend-  
> • All types of gods  
> • So much red, not all of it blood, but something much worse. Memories.  
> • Comedic nudity  
> • An underground sea where time and space don’t work as they’re supposed to  
> -NTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESU-  
> T͚̠͍̹͇ͅH҉̙͎̺͔̙E̦̜̹̖C̰̥͎͔̳̱H̻͖A̢͎̱I̼͖N͙̟̟͔͚H͓͟A͖͔̦̯S͉͕͠B̝͓̱EE̗̻̞͎̺͖͝N̨̻͇̖̥B̯̰͖͉̺͟ͅR̹O̵̻̝͓͍K̶̜͈͓̫̦EN̶͚̭̖͚̳A̜̼͓͈N̫̻͞D̻̗̟̣̮̻͈D̺̳̞̼̲̳E͙A̴̝͎̹̻̰D͚̭̠̣̩̣̙S̪̬̰͍̣̙̮͢T̪A͕̫͝Ṛ̬̟̼͓H̵̹͍̫̹̘̦̩U͕͓̖̞͖͞S͎̩̬͕̪K̯̥̰S̥C͓AC̸̤̪̪̣̼ͅK̶͖L̢͙̠̜E̮̤̫̯̜̕IN̬̤̜̺͇͠E̺̺͚̜͕̬̺͞T͉͙̺E̛͇̼R̗̳̱N̤̖͇̳͙A̞͕̩̦̩̠L̪̺̖̖͎̤͠S̫̲͚͔͓͚̳U̲F̺̺͕F̼̮E̖̕R̡͈̖̞̩͇I̛̳͚͕͉̮̳͎N̡͖͉̯G


	27. Building Bridges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got a brief respite from uni stuff, but I expect that things will only get worse as exam period approaches. So, next chapter will also probably take some time to write :/
> 
> (Chant at the beginning of the chapter was loosely based on the ‘chants’ from the song Ἐλθὲ Κύριε (Elthe Kyrie) by Rotting Christ, because holy shit, the vocals)

How much Fear,

Origin unknown, as apocryphal as decayed scripture.

Descendant of none, sowing the seeds of Madness.

Not a being, not a beast, a sentient coagulation of fear.

A God-slaying monstrosity,

Emerging from the Earth, binding us with whispers of nightmares,

Beholding the eldritch capacity of imagination.

See us, Lord,

Deliver us, Lord,

Come, Lord.

Existing at the first breath, as ingrained as the abyss,

Common destination of existence, harvester of all,

A being, a sentience, a personification,

The inescapable end of Gods.

Thy prison shall decay and thee shall rise,

An Order restored, a balance reinstated,

Again and again and again.

Come Lord.

Come Lord.

Come Lord.

And cleanse this wretched world.

_Prayer of Faith, Origins Unknown_

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

**Chapter 30: Building Bridges**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

The heavy pile of papers plopped on the desk with a loud thud. Joe rotated his shoulders to relax them from the small strain of carrying the load as guards closed the door behind him.

“Preliminary plans for the Offensive,” Joe said as Kid, sitting on the chair by the desk, reached out for the first few pages. “Theodore says he’ll come by to talk about the final plans with you.” Glancing back at the entrance to the Grim Reaper’s private chambers, Joe supposed anyone would feel disoriented by his sudden change from formal tone to conversational, but he was a spy. The ability to switch things up was necessary in his line of work. “I’m not going to lie and say this isn’t dangerous, but at least we’re making progress, right?”

He gave Kid encouraging smile, hoping to lighten the mood. Kid glanced at Joe before setting down the papers and letting his shoulders slouch.

Joe felt his smile fade away. “But I guess you don’t want to talk about that…”

The Council meeting had been a success, agenda-wise. When Kid had instructed him to support an upcoming motion to put the captured Deathscythes on the frontlines for what was now dubbed the ‘Offensive’, Joe had choked on his spit, suffered a quick heart attack, and let out a strangled cry of “are you crazy”, all in that particular order.

After a very long and dreadful moment of silence, the Grim Reaper had informed Joe that this was part of a plan to free the Deathscythes — in his shock, Joe had taken this phrase as a metaphor for letting them die. When he did voice aloud that thought, the expression the man then received had been equal parts scandalized and disturbed.

Following a few more rounds of miscommunication, Joe had been fully brought up to speed that there was a scheme in place for getting the Deathscythes out, but it involved removing them from the dungeons. The least suspicious way conceivable to accomplish this was to plop them right in the middle of an upcoming assault.

It was not the most reckless plan Joe had ever participated in, but it came close. Despite this, Joe realized he had little choice, and he had mentally steeled himself to hear Kid voice the motion during the meeting.

Then, because Joe’s life was nothing if not unpredictable, Tezca, of all people, had been the one to propose the motion. Joe had spent the remainder of the assembly staring at Tezca, his Soul Perception active in an effort to understand what was going on with the unreadable man. As always, he got nothing.

Nevertheless, the motion had passed. George had been the first one to agree. After Kid voiced his support, Auntie had folded, and Joe voiced his agreement once Misery let out a small hum of approval. Theodore was the last one to speak, but he had eventually come around to the plan as well.

It was a done deal now. Marie, Azusa, and Spirit would be on the frontlines. Stein too, because he was one of the few who could actually wield a Deathscythe. All of them would be placed under strict watch, with bindings spells so powerful that their fighting ability would undoubtedly be hampered.

… Joe could not help but worry about the Offensive in general, considering how little information they possessed concerning its location. The place lay beyond the Grave Colonies, where the sky was tinted red, in the modest town of Exile’s Haven: a seemingly ordinary settlement save the presence of a tower with a top wider than its bottom that stood proudly in the middle of everything. The structure seemed a likely contender for the house of the Madness Relay, but no one in the Academy had actually seen it themselves. No spy sent to Haven had ever returned.

With a sigh, Joe glanced at Kid, who had gone back to leafing through the papers on the desk. Judging by the boy’s slowly falling expression, it seemed that he was realizing how truly dangerous and risky the Offensive would be for the Deathscythes.

Right. Time to change the subject.

“I’ve been trying to find who attacked you.”

Kid gave him a blank look in response. It was at this point that Joe realised Kid had been attacked multiple times, many of which had been occurred at the hands of Joe himself.

“Way back,” he quickly amended. “After you finished your translation.”

Joe’s gaze lingered a bit too long on Kid’s neck. Although there was no telltale scar, he could pinpoint exactly where the wounds had been.

He took Kid’s silence as his cue to continue, “I’ve been going through the Academy’s staff list. Hopefully, our assailant left something that’ll give him away. An absence — a misstep of some sort. I doubt I’ll find the mastermind himself, but if I can find the attackers, then I can find out who orchestrated it all.”

“They were a Weapon and Meister pair,” the Grim Reaper eventually said, not looking at Joe. “A sword.”

Joe placed a hand on his chin. “Do you remember anything else about them? About the sword?”

“It was very long. And sharp.” Kid let out a sigh. “Does it matter?”

“We were in a corridor. From your description, the Weapon is likely a type of long sword, which is ill-suited for close-quarter combat. This means the people after you were skilled enough to attack in a narrow space.”

It could also mean that whoever attacked did not have a lot of people to spare, but that theory sat ill with Joe. Even if he had been distracted, Joe had been knocked out by what felt like the pulse of a Soul Wavelength. It could not have been the work of an amateur.

“What I mean is, is it really that important to find out who attacked me that one time?” This time Kid did look at Joe, and his eyes looked tired.

“Yes, because of what they managed to accomplish.” Joe couldn’t bring himself to say ‘because you were killed’, and not just because that statement had turned out to be wrong. “And in case you’re attacked again—”

“I healed before, and I’ll heal again,” Kid said before focusing his attention to the stack of papers once more.

Joe restrained a sigh. He understood they had bigger problems at the moment, but the event still haunted him. “I’ll still give the staff list a once-over. I have to ask Auntie to get me a list of students as well-”

“About her,” Kid spoke up abruptly, “how do you think it went during the Council session? I know the motion was successful, but…”

“You want to think long-term. I understand what you mean.” It also was a good change of subject in Joe’s opinion. “Could have gone worse, could have gone better. You have a good poker face, though it’s a bit obvious when you use it. Then again, I’m used to picking up on those things, so I can’t be sure if any of the others have noticed.”

Kid nodded. “What about the others?”

“Well… Misery didn’t threaten to strangle anyone, so we’re good on that front,” Joe said, ignoring Kid’s frown, “Auntie followed your lead, which is notable, because she usually votes after Theodore.”

Auntie was also the one Joe had most expected to object, yet she had not raised a peep. Another oddity that Joe had no answer for yet.

“What about Tezca?”

Joe let out a soft hiss. “Tezca… is a mystery.”

Kid’s frown persisted. “Is there anything more you can tell me about him?”

“Why the sudden interest?”

Kid glanced at the pile of papers but neglected to speak up.

Joe rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Keeping secrets from me won’t help you out, you know. I’m on your side.”

“…Marie, Azusa, and the others told me Tezca is head of the Resistance.”

Wait, what—

“He was the one who organized the failed coup d’état during the ritual. He also helped those who were involved disentangle themselves from the Academy,” Kid continued before Joe had a chance to recompose himself, “and I’m currently in cahoots with him.”

 Joe blinked. Then he blinked again. Kid looked at him expectantly.

“Damn, he slipped past me,” was the first thing Joe said aloud. Head of the Resistance? Not only now, but in charge of it way back during the fight with the Kishin? It wasn’t exactly as earth-shattering as the revelation of the Grim Reaper’s… situation, whatever that was, but it confirmed a lot of Joe’s suspicions. “Smart guy,” he continued with a nod, “And I’m guessing you’re asking me about Tezca because you don’t trust him?”

“Not fully.”

Joe snorted. “I feel you. Tezca was accused of organizing and heading rebel groups within the Academy way back when. There were rumours he’d gone off the deep end and wanted to destroy the DWMA to pave the way for the Kishin after the Battle with y— with Death, so at the time I mistook it for general paranoia.” He frowned at the recollection. “Turns out there might have been a kernel of truth.”

Kid still looked at Joe expectantly. Right, he had asked for more information on Tezca.

“He seems like a decent guy, outwardly,” Joe said with a shrug. “Thing is, I don’t know how much of that is a farce and how much of it is genuine.”

“Can’t you tell by his soul?”

Joe shook his head, a wave of embarrassment washing over him. Even now, when he managed to see through a Wit— _Kim’s_ Soul Protect, Tezca’s remained a mystery. “His Weapon form is a mirror. Hard to examine the glass when you all you see is your own reflection.”

“I understand what you mean,” Kid said to Joe’s surprise. Then again, if Kid did talk to Tezca, it would make sense to use his Soul Perception.

“And you ended up working with him?”

“He wants Marie, Azusa and the others freed, and so do I.” That was logical. Kid had also told him that Tezca was the one who had helped Marie, Azusa, and Spirit disappear.  “As well as ultimately deposing Theodore.”

Ah, so it was one of these days, Joe thought as he felt a lump form in his throat for what was the umpteenth time today.

“So,” Joe began, his heart, his everything, heavy. “This is the way we’re headed. Rebellion against Theodore.”

“What else can we do?”

“…I don’t know,” Joe admitted. He slowly made his way to the bed, and he sat on its edge while Kid turned his chair to face him. “I guess I still have some respect for the guy. I think he’s been through a lot.”

Kid leaned towards Joe, hands on his lap, the stack of papers fully forgotten. “What do you mean?”

Joe shrugged. “Rumors. Theodore only rose to power after the Battle fifteen years ago. Before that… I know he was in charge of Meisters, but a lot of our records are gone, and most of the high-ranking members at the time… perished....”

Joe also wanted to mention how the Academy had been on the brink of collapse, how the whole region had been destabilized, and how many of them had outright defected to the Kishin’s side. Death’s defeat had left the Academy in shambles, and one of the few reasons they still existed as an Institution, as a force if not to be reckoned with at least one with enough power to change things for the better… was Theodore.

Then again, Joe supposed saying any of these things to the Grim Reaper was no help to things. The Academy under Theodore’s lead had outright tried to kill Kid, and they were technically successful in that the soul Joe sensed across him was anything but human.

“He told me he had a wife,” Kid stated after Joe’s extended pause, “and that she was in charge of Weapons.”

“A wife? And she was in charge of Weapons?”  Joe repeated. “Strange.” He never had Theodore pegged as a family man, the zealot being more akin to an ascetic monk with a very short temper. “I haven’t heard of her.”

Kid crossed his arms and looked away. “I suppose that’s in the past.”

With a shrug and the mental equivalent of a slap to his forehead, Joe slowly stood up. He was here simply to deliver the papers. It would not do for him to dawdle—

“One more thing before you leave,” Kid said as he stood up himself and walked to Joe. He gave the man a long look, before taking a deep breath and exhaling. “Can you keep a close eye on Liz?”

Liz. The elder of the Thompson sisters, Kid’s Weapons. The more stable of the duo, if only on the surface.

“Why?”

“…It’s the souls she’s eaten,” Kid admitted after a few long moments. Judging by his scowl, Joe could tell that he had no desire to say this to anyone, Joe included. “They’re affecting her.”

So she was slipping. Joe had warned her, but the stubborn girl had outright dismissed him then.

He hated it when he turned out to be right.

“I’m afraid she’ll try to eat more,” Kid continued.

Joe looked at the Grim Reaper expectantly, but nothing more was said. This meant that this issue was either a passing concern or a matter of grave importance. Joe assumed it was the latter.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Just keep an eye on her for now. Make sure she doesn’t try anything stupid.”

Joe had a pretty good idea of what the Grim Reaper meant by ‘stupid’, which only increased his unease.

“And if she tries anything?”

Kid opened his mouth to respond but closed it soon after.

“Keep her contained,” the Grim Reaper said after a few more false starts, “lock her up if you have to, anything to keep her away from souls, but don’t…”

Kid never said the words ‘don’t kill her’; Joe heard them nonetheless.

“That’s… an unusual approach,” said Joe slowly. He understood the sentiment, but locking her up would never do much good. “And it doesn’t really address the problem-”

“I know,” Kid cut him off. “I’m working on that.”

It was clearly not the first time he had thought about this, and apparently it genuinely worried him, which brought up one of the burning questions Joe had about the whole mess. However, if he wanted straight answers, he would have to be diplomatic, even more so than usual.

“You really care about her, huh,” began Joe nonchalantly.

Kid crossed his hands and gave Joe a frown. “Of course I do.”

Alright, time to play ball. The first thing was to remove himself from the equation and generalize. “People might get confused about the ‘of course’ part.”

The frown deepened.

“Why?”

Joe gave Kid a shrug. “Because people view you as a God.”

“I don’t see how that prevents me from caring about others.”

Joe thought of stopping because of Kid’s sudden pointed tone. Yet, he had to know. He had to decide once and for all what to do. So far, Joe was following what felt like an obligation to Marie and Azusa, perhaps an attempt to atone for his spotty past. But what Joe did not know was what the final goal here was besides a few vague allusions to a better future which, to be perfectly honest, was the default objective no matter the specific morals or actions.

No, Joe could not afford to stop now.

“No offense, but people’s definition of a god wouldn’t be you.”

Kid scoffed. “People never imagined the Grim Reaper would be a fifteen-year-old either, did they?”

“That was a curveball if I ever saw one.”

The bait Joe had left would have been obvious to anyone. With the way the conversation had proceeded, anyone would take it. All he had to do now was wait.

The Grim Reaper crossed his hands and looked away. A few seconds passed.

“I still don’t know how this happened either,” Kid eventually said.

Joe held back a frown. “You sure—?”

“I wasn’t acting at the Ritual,” Kid cut him off, hands tightly clenched. “I certainly wasn’t acting during my time as a prisoner.”

“So you really have no idea how you ended up as…?”

Kid shook his head, and a wave of disappointment crashed over Joe, because yes, he was talking to Kid, but he was also talking to the Grim Reaper. Death.Assuming Kid had always been a Grim Reaper, nothing explained how what once was a massive, cloaked figure made of bones was now was a scrawny, sickly teen suffering from what was, in Joe’s mind, amnesia.

And based on this conversation, the Grim Reaper possessed no explanation either. Wasn’t that a comforting thought?

“But I do know that people deserve better than this,” Kid spoke up, breaking Joe out of his stewing, “and I have the power to do that,” the Grim Reaper continued, placing  a hand over his heart in solemn pledge. “To make sure people’s souls aren’t eaten, that people don’t have to suffer in bodies long expired, that they’re freed from the Kishin’s reign of Madness,” Kid let his hands drop. “that things go back to how they were before the world was consumed by it.”

The Kishin’s reign of Madness. Joe remembered red skies, a bloody, grinning moon, and a homeland long fallen into its clutches.

This would do. This would more than do. But…

“And after that’s done?”

Kid was caught off guard by the question and spent a few moments looking at nothing in particular. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll continue looking after the souls. And make sure that the Academy doesn’t devolve into a death cult again.”

“That doesn’t mean everyone will get along,” said Joe, bringing up a counter argument for the sake of it. “Theodore, for example...”

Kid shrugged, “You can’t please everyone. Besides, what’s the worst thing they can do? Kill me?”

Joe couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at that. And going by Kid’s hesitant smile, the joke was intentional — probably.

 “You know, after this is all said and done, I’m going to have a big cup of coffee,” Joe said.  “Special blend of mine. I’ll make for you as well if you want,” he briefly paused in consideration. “With Marie and Azusa’s permission, of course.”

“For coffee?”

“It’s a very _special_ blend.”

Kid expression was stuck somewhere between confusion and amusement. “On second thought, I don’t think I want to know. But sure, I’ll have one.”

The smile Joe received this time around was unusual. By the way that the corners of his eyes turned up, it seemed that this was the first genuine smile Kid had ever given Joe.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Liz was trying to find a nice, isolated corner for her and her sister to eat lunch alone, and she was utterly failing.

If their sparse bedrooms at the almost run-down dormitory were busy, then the cafeteria was absolutely packed. Liz, her mind already numb from classes which, despite taking place within a death cult, still turned out to be dreadfully average and boring, just wanted to find a quiet corner to relax and maybe have a proper conversation with her sister. Patty was the only person who Liz could be genuine with in this godforsaken place.

Moreover, when she did find an open part of the cafeteria that was obscured by a large decorative bush, she found the table was already occupied by familiar faces.

The first visage she saw was Kilik’s, the boy absorbed in conversation. Fire and Thunder sat in the spot closest to the wall, using pillows to reach the benchtop. Two more boys around Kilik’s age were seated at the table as well, people whose faces rang a bell in Liz’s mind but whom she did not truly recognize.

Liz was about to turn around and find another quiet, secluded corner for herself and her sister to skulk in peace when she made eye contact with Kilik.

“Hey,” the friendly Meister offered her as a greeting before turning to the other two boys on the table. “Told you guys I wasn’t lying.”

“You’re Death’s Weapon,” the boy wearing strange, visor-like glasses said in monotone.

Liz’s mood took a dive off a cliff.

“Feast your eyes,” she dryly remarked.

“Harvar!” the bald boy exclaimed before turning to look at the sisters. “Apologies. He can be very direct.” The boy gestured to himself. “I’m Ox Ford. This is my Weapon partner, Harvar D. Éclair.”

“I’m Patty!” Liz’s sister exclaimed and promptly seated herself on the bench.

With a sigh, Liz followed her sister’s example and sat next to Patty. Socializing it was.

“Liz,” she offered everyone at the table.

Their next few minutes were spent mostly on small talk as Liz poked at her lunch and Patty regaled them with a surreal retelling of her exploration of the school grounds, a long winded tale which only Harvar appeared to be trying to understand.

Eventually, as all conversations are wont to do, the subject matter turned to politics.

“Are you happy with things here?” Liz asked before she could stop herself, “With that old fossil Theodore running things?”

“What do you — I mean yes, Miss Deathscythe!” Kilik’s initial frown was instantly supplanted by a nervous smile.

Liz scoffed, “I ain’t a snitch, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Kilik’s incredulous look persisted, and Liz glanced around the table. Harvar’s expression remained neutral while Ox’s prominent forehead was wrinkled. The twins’ looks were eerily blank as well, but Liz was pretty sure that this was their normal appearance.

“You know what,” Liz remarked at the cold reception, “forget about it. Stupid question.”

“Why did you ask that?” Harvar’s inquiry came out of nowhere, and Liz almost spat out her drink.

“You _are_ direct,” declared the girl.

Harvar’s face remained blank. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Liz shrugged. “I’m just curious is all.”

“That’s no explanation.”

“Harvar,” Kilik whispered from the side, “don’t antagonize a Deathscythe—”

That did it for her.

“Look, Patty and I aren’t exactly buddies with Theodore if that’s the juicy gossip you were looking for,” Liz asserted.

There was no point in concealing the old dude’s dislike towards her, so why bother? This did not mean she intended to broadcast their mutual loathing to everyone in the Academy, but if it got this Harvar dude to stop being suspicious, then Liz was ready to air some dirty laundry.

Ox frowned. “But you’re Death’s weapons.”

Liz shrugged. “Theodore didn’t exactly ‘approve’,” she said as vaguely as possible, not wanting to dwell on this too much.

Harvar looked like he was about to ask another question, so Liz quickly filled her mouth with the tasteless baked potatoes that made up most of her lunch and accompanied them with equally tasteless beans. So much for the luxuries of being a ‘Deathscythe’.

To be honest, Liz was starting to regret her ‘become the Grim Reaper’s Weapon’ plan. To hell with needing the Grim Reaper’s protection; Liz and Patty had done fine in Kishin-infested New York, and they would have been fine with Maka and the others. Hell, if Liz had played her cards right, maybe they could have scratched up a way back home. It hadn’t been an easy life, but it was damn well less… complicated and dangerous than this mess. New York might have been dangerous, but it was predictable, familiar. This place kept throwing curveballs at her.

“What are you planning?”

Case in point.

“Huh?” Liz swallowed her food and looked up to see Harvar leaning towards her. Everyone else was watching them closely.

“You’re planning something.” Harvar’s voice was monotonous as usual, but Liz could practically taste the accusation behind it. “Something to do with the Academy’s power structure.”

Liz slowly let go of her fork and placed both her hands under the bench, where she tightened them into fists. Patty sidled up next to her; all Liz had to do was give the signal and—

Kilik raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. “That’s… a pretty serious accusation, Harvar.”

“Not to mention conspiratorial,” Ox added.

“Strange things have been happening,” Harvar looked pointedly at Ox. “You know what I’m talking about.”

Ox gave Harvar a frown, only for his eyebrows to shoot up a moment later. There was something odd going on between these two.

“Well, I don’t,” Liz said in a faux nonchalant manner, leaning back in her chair. Patty copied her posture, making sure she was as close to Liz as physically possible in case they had to... “Care to enlighten me, genius?”

If any of Liz’s not-so-thinly-veiled insults had gotten to Harvar’s nerves, the boy did not let it show. “First, a question.”

Liz’s expression shifted into a scowl. Was she being patronized? “Hey—“

“Before Death, your Meister was the boy who was sacrificed, correct?”

Okay, so they were bringing _that_ up. A larger red flag, Liz could not imagine. Try as she might, she could not insult and deflect her way out of that very direct question. Just what did these two know?

“Um,” Ox cleared his throat and poked Harvar with his elbow. “Maybe not the best time—”

“Nonsense,” Harvar cut him off. “We have to know what’s going on.” Another red flag raised. “If those two were this so-called ‘Kid’s’ Weapons, and now they’re Death’s Weapons—”

“Patty.”

 Harvar never got to finish his sentence, as he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. A gun that had just been Patty second ago, now wielded by Liz, who was standing up with her finger on the trigger.

Harvar’s last remark had been the final red flag.

Liz should have pulled the trigger right then and there. She could have done away with everybody suspicious of the truth, whatever it was, and kept their cover.

It would have been a piece of cake. The place was isolated, without witnesses. Even though everyone would hear the gunshot, Liz could bullshit her way out of the consequences using whatever clout she had as a so-called ‘Deathscythe’. All she had to do was pull the trigger, a trigger she had had no problem pulling back when she was on the streets and she had first met Kid—

Her finger trembled, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull it. For a second that felt like an eternity, she looked down at Harvar, at Patty’s Weapon form pressed against his forehead — And that was when somebody pushed her, and there was light all around, and the sharp end of a spear was suddenly pressed against her neck. Liz did not move a muscle except to blink rapidly in an effort to clear the haze from her mind. She quickly steadied herself and regained her bearings. Patty was still pointed at the person closest to her.

Ox. Ox, holding the spear, Harvar, against her neck. Liz looked aside to see Kilik wielding two gauntlets — another familiar Meister and Weapon pair.

“You,” Liz growled in recollection.

Kilik gulped but raised his fists and Liz recalled them making a dent in the van’s door. That was where she knew Kilik and the twins from. Hell, that’s where she had first seen Ox and Harvar, the jagged, yellow spear being the one that had almost fried her with lightning—

“Not this again,” Ox muttered, and Liz frowned.

Was this why he had been so friendly towards her? Out of some sense of guilt for getting her into this mess — for almost killing her? Damn it, this was not a fight that Liz would win. She had not won when they fought in the middle of nowhere, and she would not win now surrounded on all sides by the Academy.

If only she had pulled the trigger.

Slowly, Liz lowered Patty.

“Sis…” Patty's voice came out as a low growl. She transformed back into her human form and stayed closed to her sister, glaring at anybody who dared make eye contact.

“It’ll be okay,” Liz whispered back.

Kilik reciprocated the gesture, lowering Fire and Thunder, although his nervous expression remained. “What was that for?!”

“Her behavior only confirms my suspicions,” Harvar said the moment he returned to human form.

“What suspicions?!” Kilik repeated, flinching at the sound of his own shout and lowering his volume to a level more suitable for indoor discussion. “You almost got yourself shot—”

“The Ritual was botched.”

Now Liz wished Patty had not transformed back, because this was pants-shittingly bad, and at least she could have gotten a few good licks in before having her cover blown to fucking smithereens and _oh fuck, how much had Harvar figured out_ —

“…What?! _How_?!” Kilik concisely summarized all of Liz’s thoughts in two words.

“When you say Ritual… So you think that’s why we saw…” Ox cryptically trailed off.

Liz felt her blood pressure reach vein-bursting levels. She and Patty had been figured out. Any semblance of cover had been catapulted into the sun. Why the _fuck_ did they insist on being cryptic—

Harvar nodded. “It’s the only reasonable explanation for why the Grim Reaper would assist a Witch’s escape.”

A Witch’s escape? Kim’s escape? How on Earth did Harvar know about _that_?

You know what, at least it was something. Now, Liz knew that, somehow, the fucking Witch had been involved and goddammit, Liz had warned them all but they didn’t listen-

“Didn’t…” Kilik gulped. “Didn’t K— the Witch die?”

Ah, yes, that cover had held up nicely. Now all Liz had to do was stay silent as the boys confused each other with the layers upon layers of conspiracies and cover-ups that Liz had been drowning in for far too long.

“Yes, people said they saw the Grim Reaper covered with the witch’s — with Kim’s blood,” Ox said.

“A fabrication, I presume.” Harvar placed a hand on his chin and Liz’s eye twitched. “There is no logic to going to all the trouble of aiding an escape only to kill everyone afterwards.”

Kilik sent Liz an utterly confused look. She simply shrugged her shoulders. Good — even if Harvar was on the right track, they were starting to befuddle themselves, and maybe, if Liz nudged Patty at the right time, she could get to Kilik first and then Ox before Harvar transformed—

“Maybe, but how can you know that?” Ox questioned.

“Unfortunately, I can’t. But if anyone can, it’s…” Harvar trailed off, and everyone turned to look at the sisters.

“Us,” Liz finished his sentence.

Patty tensed up next to her. Her sister’s alertness did not go unnoticed by Liz, who placed a hand on her Patty’s shoulder because she knew Patty was on the verge of panicking even if she hid it behind obliviousness. No matter what happened, they would make it through this — even if Liz had to leave a bloody path carved behind them.

“Are any of my claims false?”

Liz took a sharp breath in through her nose. She was determined not to give these fuckers anything.

“Your lack of answer only confirms my—”

 _Motherfucker_.

“Can you shut it for one second?” Liz rubbed her temples in frustration. “Shit.”

Shit indeed.

Okay, at least the Brainiacs were being quiet for once. And Liz had not yet been dragged away, which meant that… only these people knew? Or maybe the situation had simply not yet escalated to ‘hit the bunkers’ levels of fucked?

“I’m just gonna ask one question,” Liz began, forcing her tone to be even though her wild eyes betrayed her true feelings. “How?”

Ox at least had the decency to look madly embarrassed, as if he had stumbled upon some mortifying make-out session. “We came across Kim and… and the Grim Reaper while they were escaping. Long story short, Kim told us Kid was helping her escape.”

A straightforward confirmation that Kim was involved.

“I’m gonna kill that Witch,” Liz muttered under her breath.

“Wait. The Grim Reaper helped a Witch escape?!” Kilik hissed. Bless his heart, he was trying his best to stay caught up with the absolute fucking disaster that was Liz’s life. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?!”

“We were told to keep quiet!” Ox hissed back.

“By who?!”

“Who do you think?!”

Ah, so Kid hadn’t been completely spineless in that incident. This meant that Harvar and Ox had stayed quiet about it all, which meant that maybe, just maybe, they would stay quiet again now. Which meant that Liz had to play ball and be _nice_.

“So, you met up with Kid and Kim,” Liz recapped, trying to steer herself back onto firm ground.  “And to think the little brat said nothing went wrong when I asked him,” she fondly recalling.

Dammit, she was getting side-tracked again. Less reminiscing, more resolving.

“Kid?” Ox repeated with a grimace. “Kim also called him called him Kid, and I thought that he hadn’t… but then she referred to him as the Grim Reaper, so...”

He looked expectantly at Liz as if awaiting for the last piece of the puzzle, for something to resolve a thousand scrambled dots into an intricate image like the patterns on the wings of a butterfly. Liz did indeed know how to put the puzzle pieces together, but the picture they formed was less ‘wonders of nature’ and more ‘ impressionistic portrait of a dumpster-fire’. Dammit, she was stalling. All she had to do was answer Ox’s implied question about whether they were dealing with Kid or the Grim Reaper. The correct response was simple…wasn’t it?

“Yes,” Liz said before she could stop herself, earning her a confused look from everyone. “Very same brat.”

Ox let out a sigh of relief.

“Who is also the Grim Reaper.”

 Ox tensed up like a mistreated violin. Harvar opened his mouth to speak, probably in order to ask a question Liz was in no mood to answer.

“It’s the same fucking person, don’t ask me how or why. Just fucking deal with it.” Deal with it like Liz had failed to do. “Fuck.”

Silence fell over their table. Patty was still at Liz’s side. Kilik made several odd faces to himself as he processed all that had been said. Ox did the same, only his grimaces progressed to a look that was increasingly blank and pale.

Harvar’s contemplative expression had not changed one bit. “That… makes sense.”

Liz looked at him as if he had grown a second head. Correction: Liz looked at him as if the second head he had metaphorically grown was a diversion from the content of his speech.

“What?” was all the reply that Liz could muster.

“No matter how outlandish it sounds, your explanation about these two people being the same individual solves all the irregularities that I’ve observed.”

This time Liz looked at Harvar in a way that shot right past the comparatively tame ‘grown a second head’ analogy and straight into body horror territory.

“Observed? To start with, how do _you_ know it’s really Kid and not some sort of act?” It was a shitty argument and Liz knew it, but she could not help but ask. “It’s not like you were buddies or something—”

“No, but I can infer his behaviors from what you've told me,” Harvar said, “and from what’s expected of the Grim Reaper—”

Liz’s scoff interrupted him. Goosebumps were forming down her shoulders upon recollections of a soul-packed cellar. “Oh, he’s living up to the expectations part, let me tell you...”

Harvar crossed his arms and his frown deepened. “That’s not the impression we’ve gotten.”

Liz scowled. Was this random guy explaining to her the behaviors of her own Meister? “You met him in the dungeons for like, a minute, dude.”

“Yes, where he was saving a Witch’s life and aiding in the escape of his friends, which I assume included you before you decided to pose as his Weapons.”

Liz shrugged and crossed her arms as well. “So what? Could have been a guilty conscience for all I know...”

A guilty conscience from getting them imprisoned and almost executed… maybe even a guilty conscience from lying about what had truly occurred during the Ritual, but Liz was not about to say that out loud.

“I don’t think you understand what people here expected,” Harvar explained. “The Grim Reaper of myth was one that turned half of Nevada into a wasteland during the fight against the Kishin. The one that mercilessly hunted down Witches, who still have not recovered the numbers they lost in the Dark Ages.” Harvar’s hands clenched into tight fists. “The one that, according to a few sources, claimed that the reason Weapons were spared despite their connection to Witches was because they were so effective at killing.”

Kilik and Ox remained silent after Harvar concluded his speech — this was hardly any change from their previous hush.

The only thing Liz could do in this situation was gulp. “Geez, tell me how you really feel.”

That, and make jokes.

“Don’t try to change the subject. Yes, there are other aspects, of law and order that I and others have discussed, but it’s not important now. People were waiting for fire and brimstone, and, as you can see, no such thing has occurred.” Harvar’s hands unclenched. “Instead, what we got was a peaceful meeting with the Grave Colonies—”

“Peaceful?” Liz interjected, her throat constricting, goosebumps rising again, “They all died.” Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. “Kid killed them.” She could have become so much more powerful but—

“Uh,” Kilik timidly spoke up, “they were technically already dead.”

“We’re dealing with a Grim Reaper,” Harvar stated firmly. “We are dealing with _Death_ , as I explained earlier.”

Liz shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Considering what Harvar had mentioned before…

“Okay, so I guess by your standards, Kid ain’t that bad,” she admitted. “What’s your point?”

“That I prefer this version of the Grim Reaper to the expected,” Harvar said, ignoring Ox’s and Kilik’s slack-jawed looks. “However it happened, I am in favor of a more… compassionate Grim Reaper than the merciless persona the High Priest teaches.”

Ox looked at his Weapon partner with an unreadable expression. “Harvar…” His jaw clenched, and he switched his gaze to Liz. “I do too.”

“Same, I guess,” Kilik quickly added, rubbing his nose. “I’m still wrapping my head around it all.”

Liz’s reaction to these admissions slowly turned from disbelief to outright shock.

“Point being, if you are planning something, or if you require student recruitment… we are willing to assist.”

“When you say ‘you’…” Liz trailed off.

Harvar raised an eyebrow. “You work as a team, don’t you? As Weapons and Meister.”

Right. Meister and Weapon. A partnership, or at least it was supposed to be.

“I’ll…” Liz began. “I’ll let him know.”

The moment she said it, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest.

Kilik continued the conversation with the others, asking Harvar and Ox more about their encounter with the Grim Reaper — Kid —  but Liz tuned that out. She tuned out Kilik’s scandalized expression at the clandestine nature of it all, she tuned out Harvar’s quick and emotionless exposition, she tuned out Patty’s supportive hand at her back.

A weight had been lifted off her chest, but Liz still could not breathe.

She should be happy. Yes, their cover had been blown. Yes, she was sure she’d had a heart attack or two. But Liz was coming out of this conversation with allies, with people whom she could trust and who could have her back in a tight situation.

Allies.

Just like Kid was.

Liz should be happy.

The growling in her stomach was what stopped her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy, look at all these friendships forming and some subplots resolving. Next chapter should have the offensive on the Madness Relay, so look forward to that update which will happen once I get a brief respite from essay hell.  
> Beta’ed by riodoodle from fanfiction.net. Feedback is appreciated.


End file.
